London, Baby!
by MOPmom
Summary: Logan's point of view during the lonely months in London. Set in season 7, not Revival.
1. Chapter 1

Author Note: Hi guys! This is my continuation of Logan's mind. It follows my other stories, but this can probably be ready stand-alone if desired. This will start in 6.22 Partings and go through the separation in London. This chapter is a little frank with the sexual talk, so be warned. Logan's inner thoughts are in italics.

I do not own any characters from Gilmore Girls and title borrows from Friends.

* * *

"Tell me not to go." Logan looks away from Rory and down into his lap, embarrassed at his weakness.

"What?" she asks.

Still not looking up, he says, "Tell me not to get on that plane. Tell me to blow off my father, the paper, the whole Huntzberger destiny. Just tell me I can figure something else out. Just tell me not to go."

This afternoon's business meetings have shaken him more than he wants to let on, but he's had just enough beer to come clean to Rory. _She is the one thing I am sure of._

Rory sighs. "Well, I can't do that."

 _What? You don't want me to stay?_

He takes a couple of measured breaths and searches for answers in his lap.

 _Rory always wants what's best for me. She must have thought about this._

He reaches over and puts his hand on her knee. He looks up at her. Her big blue eyes are pleading with him to drop it.

She hesitates, and he teases, "What? You think the teacher's gonna see?"

He puts his arm around her and pulls her in close for a kiss. He doesn't want to stop, but he is suddenly very aware that there are still twenty or so people in his apartment.

He pulls an inch away from her and asks, "How quickly can we get all of these yahoos out of here?"

She laughs. "I'm on it."

As she jumps up and recruits Stephanie to help her clear the party, Logan takes a minute to regroup. _I have to do this. I don't really have a choice. I have to make the best of it._

He stands to say goodbye to all his boys. He will miss them too.

They all head out except Robert, who is still chatting with Jenny. Logan walks over and whispers to him "She got back together with Paul this morning."

Robert looks at him, then back at Jenny. "Welp, gotta go. Logan- safe travels."

Finally, Logan closes the door behind the last of their guests. "Alone at last," he grins.

"I have one more little surprise for you." Her eyes are bright, and her cheeks blush. "Turn around, and close your eyes."

Logan's eyes widen, and then he does as he's told.

A few moments later, he feels Rory pulling fabric around his eyes.

"Blindfold. Kinky."

"Not quite," Rory giggles. "Turn around and open your eyes."

 _How can I see through a blindfold?  
_

But as he opens his eyes, he realizes it is not actually a blindfold, but a Zorro-type mask.

Rory is standing in front of him. She has ditched the red dress and hat, and is now clad only in her bra, panties, and blond wig.

 _Good God.  
_

"Farm boy," she says in a haughty tone. "I demand you take me to bed and have your way with me."

Logan grins. "As you wish," he says in a faux British accent, scooping her up and carrying her to bed as gracefully as his walking cast will allow.

The sex is hot and passionate. Loud and quick. He rolls off of her and hobbles to the bathroom to throw away the condom.

As he gets back in bed, he snuggles Rory to him and breathes against her back. "I'm sorry that was so short. It was _too_ hot," he laughs.

"It's fine, Logan. We have all night."

A quick glance over her shoulder tells him it is already after two. _It's not enough time…_

He gently tugs at her wig. Rory rolls over to face him.

"You don't like it?" she asks him. "Because I know you tell everyone that Die Hard is your favorite movie, but I'm fairly positive it's actually The Princess Bride."

"Alright, you got me," Logan snorts. "And obviously, I liked it. I just fucked Buttercup senseless. But… it's our last night, and I wanna be with _my_ girl."

Rory pulls off her wig and then the skull cap. She shakes out her chestnut hair.

"There she is," he says as he kisses her jawline.

"Can you even go again?" she asks, giggling.

He smirks, rolling on top of her. "I need ten, maybe fifteen minutes."

He begins kissing down her neck to the sweet spot on her collarbone. He puts time into each breast, trying to commit every detail of her body to memory.

 _I've got to make this last for months._

He continues moving down her body and traces her hip bone with his tongue. By the time he settles in between her legs, her body is already buzzing. He takes his time, doing all the things he knows she loves. He listens to her moan and feels the way her hips twitch against his face.

When he feels the goosebumps arise on her body, he knows she's close.

"Logan," she gasps. "I'm…I…" She reaches down and clutches his hair. He doesn't quit until he feels her legs go slack on either side of his head. She slips over onto her side, attempting to catch her breath.

He discreetly wipes his mouth on the sheets and crawls back up the bed to her kissing along her spine on his way. His erection pushes against her, and she laughs.

"I guess you're ready now," she says, as she reaches for another condom. He rolls it on, and spoons her again. She guides him into place as he enters her from behind.

"God, Ace…" he groans. _How is it this good, every time? I am too close. I have to hold out longer._

"Get on top. I wanna see you," he whispers gruffly.

She rolls over and climbs on top of him. He grabs her hips tightly as she circles around and around. Her eyes are closed, and she's still in post-climax glow. She runs her hands through her hair, murmuring "Right there. Don't stop."

She picks up speed, and he feels the goosebumps rise up again. Her body tenses, and she sighs contentedly.

 _I will never tire of that sound._

"One more?" he asks her.

Rory whispers back, "Maybe… Don't stop what you're doing."

She leans forward, changing her angle until her breasts are right in his eye line.

"Fuck, Rory," he hisses as he pulls her nipple into his mouth. She moans, and he can feel her come again.

 _I can't hold this anymore._

"I'm gonna come if you don't slow down," he whispers to her. Rory responds by driving her hips down harder and faster, pushing him over the edge.

"I'm sorry, baby. I just couldn't…"

She laughs as she rolls off of him. He puts the condom on the bedside table to deal with later.

"Logan, you just gave me four orgasms. I can survive without a fifth."

They rest quietly for a moment, catching their breath.

Rory finally breaks the silence. "The things you can do with your tongue. I'm gonna miss getting that on the regular."

Logan smirks, and then upon reflecting, quietly asks "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course."

"I've never done that to anyone else," he admits.

"What?" Rory says, popping up on one elbow to look at him.

He repeats himself. "I've never done that to another girl."

Her eyes are incredulous. "How is that possible?"

"I don't know. I remember some guys at Exeter talking about seeing it in a porn or something. I must have been eleven, twelve-ish, and I thought it sounded so gross."

Rory snorts.

"I know, right? I mean when you think how much I love it now… Anyway, when I was older, old enough to actually be with girls, it just seemed so… intimate. I mean, you have to be really comfortable with someone to do that. And, before you, intimacy was just not my thing."

"Logan," she whispers. "You went down on me like the first or second time we were together."

"I know."

"And that first spring break! That's like all we did the whole week!" she exclaims.

"I know. You were always different for me."

She leans down and kisses his lips sweetly.

He looks deep in her eyes. _Might as well keep confessing._

"There's something else." He pauses briefly. "After we slept together the first time, I wasn't with anyone else. Not until we broke up…" he trails off, not wanting to bring up Walker or Claudia.

Rory's eyes widen again. "Logan, I saw you on dates with other girls."

"Yeah, well what you saw was basically all that happened. I teased you about it being 'something' right away, and it was… for me too."

"Why have you never told me this before?" she asks.

"I was embarrassed," he replies honestly. "I had spent so much time and energy convincing everyone… and probably myself most of all… that you were one of many, when you were really just… the one."

Rory's face melts, and he can see her eyes welling up.

"Then, why are you telling me this now?"

Logan touches her face, wiping her tears and replies, "I know what happened over winter break is in the back of your mind somewhere. I want you to know –"

"Logan, I do know," she interrupts him. "Really. Let's talk about this later, okay?"

' _Let's talk about this later' has been her mantra for the last month. Not that I can blame her- I don't want to face reality either, but we're running out of time._

"Rory, there is no later," he sighs.

"Not true. We have the whole ride to the airport. That's an hour and half of pure talking. I mean, if you can keep your hands off of me for that long. I just can't handle anymore emotions right now." Glancing over her shoulder at the clock, she continues. "Let's sleep for two hours, and then we'll wake up with enough time for one more go-round before Frank gets here," she says, grinning.

"Okay, I'll set the alarm," he replies. "I'm gonna take a quick shower. I'm sticky."

Rory giggles and blushes.

"I love you, Logan," she calls from behind him as he hops to the bathroom. He looks back and smiles.

After a quick shower, he heads back to bed. Rory has put on pajamas and is already asleep. He can tell from the rhythm and cadence of her breathing that she is in deep.

He pulls on pajama bottoms and climbs in bed next to her. He stares at the ceiling for a few minutes, fully knowing that Rory is right; he needs to sleep too, but his mind is racing. He cannot stop the barrage of insecurity, things he has never admitted to anyone.

 _What if I'm terrible at this job, and it becomes readily apparent I only have the job because of my last name?_

 _What if I'm really good at this job, but no one will take me seriously because they think I only got the job because of my last name?_

 _What if Rory decides "Out of sight, out of mind. Philadelphia is a lot closer than London."_

 _Fucking emo punk._

 _What if she meets some new douchebag who's more charming than me?_

 _Well, no one is more charming than me, but I'll be in fucking London. That douchebag will be here- working at the paper or going to class with her._

 _What if I don't make any friends there? What if they all hate me? What if I hate them? Colin and Finn are idiots, but they've been my boys since seventh grade._

 _What if Mitchum is literally controlling every aspect of my life for the next twelve months?_

It becomes obvious that he won't be sleeping, so he gets up and decides to tie up all the final details, making a crucial decision along the way.

He sits down at the bar and begins writing a letter to Rory.

* * *

 **Dear Ace,**

 **First of all, thank you for last night- the party and the after party. It was all perfect. Except your accent.**

 **Second, I have a lot of boring housekeeping that you have not let me talk to you about. Now is the 'later' you are avoiding.**

 **1\. I've paid for the apartment and HOA for next year. I would feel so much better if you lived here, and it is where I can come home to you. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES can you move back in with Paris. I would never sleep.**

 **2\. Frank is paid through the end of the month. Please take advantage of him. He'll be bored without us.**

 **3\. There are movers coming Tuesday to pack and ship the rest of my stuff, including the computer. I've ordered you a new one, but it won't be here for another week or so. Hopefully, you can get by with your laptop until then.**

 **4\. Colin and Finn will come by at some point this week to take the Porsche to my parents' house. I would leave her for you, but I've seen you drive a stick, and I care too much about my girl. Obviously, I'm talking about the car.**

 **5\. I've added you as an authorized user to my AmEx. I know you won't use it, but I want you to have it in case of emergencies. And the bill will come to me in London, so you don't have to worry about Shira finding out.**

 **And finally, I'm sorry for the way I'm going to leave this morning. I don't want to go; I don't want to be apart from you. I know I have to though, and I hope this will be easiest way for both of us.**

 **You have changed my life in so many ways, and if I had the time, I would regale you with every detail of when, why, and how you've changed me. But I don't have the time, so I will simply say that I love you more than I knew it was possible to love another person. You are the best part of me, and I am grateful every day that you chose me to love.**

 **I'll call you when I land.**

 **Love, Logan**

* * *

He rereads his words, satisfied that he has said the things he needs to say. He places the letter next to the coffee pot where she is sure to find it amidst the mess from the party.

He dresses and packs his toiletries. After a final check to make sure his passport, visa, and boarding pass are in his carry-on, he places his bags outside the door and texts Frank that he is ready.

Logan turns off the alarm four minutes before it is set to go off and spends these precious moments watching her sleep.

 _I am really going to miss waking up to her. Have I conveyed this well enough? After all this time, she knows, right? Hopefully, the rocket will… Shit the rocket._

His closet door squeaks as he opens it. Checking behind him to see that Rory is still asleep, he pulls the long thin package out of its hiding space. He searches the apartment for a clean spot to place it, but the effort is futile. _It was a good party._

He is stalling, trying to delay the inevitable. Finally, sunlight begins to stream in, and Logan knows it is time to say goodbye.

He gently nudges her. "Rory."

She rolls over and looks at him. "Logan?"

"Don't get up," he tells her earnestly.

"You're dressed. Why are you dressed?" she asks, panicking.

 _Truthfully, I didn't trust myself to be naked with you again._

"My bags are already in the car."

"The car?"

"It's downstairs. I just wanted to tell you-"

"I'll be five minutes," she interrupts, sitting up. "I just have to find the closet."

"Relax."

"I'll just grab shoes and a coat," she says.

"No."

"No shoes, just a coat."

"You don't have to come." _You can't come._

"You're leaving. I have to go with you to the airport," she begs.

"No."

"I have to go to say goodbye."

"Rory, no." _Please don't make this harder._

"Yes. I have to wave to you at the gate," she argues.

"They won't let you come to the gate. They'll stop you at security."

"Okay, well I'll wave to you at the metal detectors."

"Rory…"

"I have to go with you."

"No!" he says, more forcefully. _Please stop now._

"Yes," she comes back, just as forceful. "You are leaving for London. Who knows when we'll see each other again?"

"I thought that was all set."

"What was all set?" Rory asks.

"Christmas, Thanksgiving, Guy Fawkes Day," he quips.

"That's so far away. I-"

"Rory. If you come with me, I won't get on the plane," he finally admits.

She frowns, and he takes a deep breath. _Just get through this._

"I've paid for the apartment for the next year, so you don't have to worry about that. There's still a few weeks left on the car service, so use it whenever you want." Rory starts crying, but he pushes through. "I know that you won't, but just in case you need to. I'll call you when I get in, okay?"

He puts his hand on the back of her head and pulls her in for a kiss. She touches his face, crying and sniffling.

"What?" he asks her.

"I just keep trying to think of fabulous things to say, but all I can think of is 'Say hi to William and Harry for me.'"

He touches his forehead to hers and smiles. _I've put Rory Gilmore at a loss for words._

"I love you, Ace."

Rory laughs. "That's so much better than 'Say his to William and Harry for me.'"

He kisses her again. _I can't start this. I have to get out of here._

"I have to go," he states abruptly. He turns from her and gets his cane and bags. _Don't look back. Leave the apartment. Don't look back. Get on the elevator._

He pushes the button for the ground floor. Turning around, he sees Rory in the doorway crying. He starts to smile to blink away the wetness, but the tears are coming fast. Mercifully, the doors close just before the flood.

He gives himself one good sob before he wipes his eyes. _Get it together, Logan. New life starts today. Get used to it._

* * *

Please let me know what you think in the comments. I may need to switch this to M as we all know the sexting that is coming up. What do you guys think?


	2. Chapter 2

Author Note: Sorry guys, this one got really long. As always, Logan's inner thoughts are italicized. I don't own any characters.

* * *

"Look after Rory, okay?"

"Of course, Mr. Logan," Frank says.

They share a genuine hug, and Logan wades into the throngs of people at JFK. Customs, check-in, board. It's all a blur. The anxiety and lack of sleep are getting to him. He plops down in first class, and lets his eyes close.

 _This is my life now. I live in London. Without my girl, without my friends, without a clue how the fuck I am going to do this._

 _Rory didn't ask me to stay even though I practically begged her to. Is she ready for a break? I mean, she didn't even let me talk to her about long-distance. How faithful_ _ **I**_ _want to be to her. How I have no interest in seeing what London has to offer._

 _I can't think like that. We are fine. Better than fine. She loves me and believes in me. She didn't try and stop me because she knows I can do this. I can prove to Mitchum that I'm not some aimless frat boy._

A few hours later, he wakes up disoriented, with drool covering his chin. He sits up, acknowledging the woman in the seat next to him and shakes his head to clear the cobwebs. His watch tells him there is just over an hour left on his flight so he rings the flight attendant for water.

 _I wonder what she's been doing all day. Probably sleeping. I wonder if she's found the rocket._

He smiles to himself, thinking about how much time he had put into that. He had wanted a gift that was uniquely Rory, not a Birkin or jewelry. Nothing that his dad would give his mom.

He had gone to a vintage bookstore in Hartford, but had been distracted by the display of model planes and trains in the window of the toy store next door. He had loved putting them together as a kid, and he wandered in to see the goods. The rocket struck him immediately.

He had spent the last month building, gluing, and painting it in Colin and Finn's apartment until it looked exactly like the one from "The Long Morrow." Even after explaining it, neither of them understood how such an esoteric gift was supposed to impress Rory. Colin had actually burst into laughter until Stephanie had smacked him and declared it the most perfect and romantic gift she had ever heard of.

 _And it_ _ **is**_ _perfect. It's exactly what I want to say to her. What I want her to understand about the depth of my feelings. That I would spend forty years in suspended animation for the chance to grow old with her._

 _She'll know what I'm trying to convey. She'll understand it. She's the smartest person I know. Way smarter than Colin and Finn._

 _She has to remember watching it in the pool house. I made a big deal about it._

 _What if she doesn't remember? It's been a while, and I destroyed the DVD when we were broken up._

 _Fuck. I should've left a note instead of trying to be so mysterious and romantic. She's probably like "A rocket? What the hell, Logan? Where are my diamond earrings?"_

 _Shit, I blew it. She won't understand how much I love her. She'll remember what a dumbass I am and think that I'm going to sleep my way through Europe._

He rings for the flight attendant again. "I'm actually going to need a seven and seven too."

He sips his drink and tries to settle down.

 _Of course she'll get it. This is Rory. She gets everything._

 _Except when she had me steal a yacht because she was mad at Mitchum. Or when she dumped me without realizing it. Or when she assumed that I was stupid enough to actually jump off a cliff with no instruction._

 _Well, actually those last two were more my fault than hers._

 _Fuck._

 _Calm down. It's fine. It's not like I can't explain it to her if she didn't get it. Which she did. Because it's Rory._

He sighs loudly and puts his head in his hands.

"Are you alright?" the elderly woman next to him asks.

Logan blushes as he realizes he has a guest at his pity party.

"Fine, thanks," he mumbles.

 _What is wrong with me? Confidence is not a problem I usually have._

 _Once wheels touch down, I'm retiring this sad sackery. I've got my girl, everyone is going to love me, and I'm going to kill at this job._

 _Because I'm Logan Fucking Huntzberger._

He drains his drink and tries to feel as confident as his inner monologue is.

After a bumpy landing, he breezes through customs and hits the baggage claim. As soon as his phone becomes active again, he calls Rory.

He tries the apartment, but no answer. He checks his watch. 3:43. _Maybe she's on campus doing paper stuff. I'll try her cell._

"Hello?" Rory answers.

"Miss me?" he asks her.

"Logan, where are you?"

"Heathrow. I just landed," he tells her as he grabs a luggage cart from the line.

Rory replies instantly. "I miss you so much."

 _Good._

"I miss you, too. I've only been here two and a half minutes, and I can already tell it sucks," he laughs, as he starts loading his bags up.

"It does suck," she agrees. "I've heard that about London. You should just get on a plane and come home. You gave it a chance."

"Are you on campus? I tried you at the apartment, but I didn't get an answer."

"No. I'm back in Stars Hollow. That apartment suddenly felt very big and empty," she pouts.

"So what are you gonna do with your first day of freedom?"

"Oh, I'm going to go play racquetball with my mom."

 _What?_

He teases her. "This is a really bad connection. It sounded like you were gonna go play racquetball with your mom."

Up ahead, a uniformed driver waits up ahead with a sign that says "Huntzberger." He stops in his tracks. _I just need a few more minutes. Ask her now._

"Hey! I could have a hidden talent for it. You never know."

"Did you open my gift?" he asks her bluntly.

"Of course."

"What did you think?" _Please understand it._

"I thought… wow!"

 _Oh, thank God._ "Yeah, pretty cool, right?"

"So cool."

"Ahhh. I'm glad you like it."

"Like it?" She laughs. "I love it!"

"I'm so glad you got it." _Though I did think this would elicit more of a response…_

"Oh yeah. Totally."

"When I left, I suddenly got worried you wouldn't get it. But of course you got it."

"Yeah. Of course I got it. Of course. I loved it."

"I knew you would. Alright Ace, I gotta go. I just wanted to tell you I touched down. I'll call you later."

"Okay. Bye, and… thank you."

"Of course. I love you," he says as he hears Rory hang up. _No 'I love you?' That was quick…_

 _Calm down. Don't be a sad sack. Everything is fine. Let's go meet the new Frank and get this started._

"I think you're looking for me," he tells his new driver. "I'm Logan Huntzberger."

"Yes, sir. I'm Paul. Let me take that." He wheels Logan's bags away and out into the night air.

The time difference strikes Logan for the first time as he is overcome by the night sky and the bright lights of London.

"Wow. What time is it?" he asks.

Paul replies, "It's just about nine, sir." He pops the trunk on a black town car and begins putting Logan's things in.

"Oh, don't call me sir. Logan is fine."

"Certainly. You've been to London before, yes?"

"Um, yes, but not really… sober," Logan admits. "Just the nightlife, basically. So feel free to tell me anything you would need to tell a first-time visitor."

"Will do, sir, er…Logan. Your flat is in Hyde Park. I was going to take you straight there unless you need to make any stops."

"Um… I think I have to work tomorrow so I may need coffee, breakfast, stuff like that."

"My understanding is that your secretary set the flat for you. It should be ready, at least for your first day," Paul says.

"Okay, then, let's go."

Logan leaves the partition up, and Paul narrates the drive, pointing out neighborhoods and parks that he has never paid attention to before. It feels quainter than the London he knows.

They pull up to his flat, and Paul helps him get his things into the elevator. Unloading into the apartment, Logan looks around. _It's awesome. It feels just like my penthouse in New Haven._

"So, can I be of any more assistance, or would you rather I just come back for you in the morning?"

"I'm good. Do you by chance know what my schedule looks like tomorrow?" Logan asks. "I know surprisingly little."

"Yes, I believe you have a meeting at 8:30. It's about a five minute drive. So when would you like me to arrive?"

"Actually, pick me up at 7:30. I need to get in the building and get acquainted with everything. Thanks, Paul. For everything." Logan smiles at him.

Paul nods curtly and retreats out of the flat. Logan heads to the kitchen for a snack and finds that Paul was right. There is plenty of food and beverage there. He grabs a water bottle and heads toward the bedroom.

His exhaustion takes over. He gets ready for bed, and tries to call Rory again. It goes straight to voicemail. There is no time for disappointment, though, as he falls asleep in minutes.

* * *

Logan wakes up in an empty bed. _This is the first time in ages that Rory hasn't been next to me._

The loneliness is palpable. He checks the clock, does the math, and decides that it is too late to call her. She is certainly asleep.

 _Pull it together. There is too much to do today to be such a pussy about missing my girlfriend. Get dressed. Get to the office. Work. First impressions. Meetings. Go._

Thirty minutes later, Logan steps out of the town car and looks up at the building where the London branch of the Huntzberger Media Group sits. The noisy streets buzz, even at this early hour. People are moving quickly, reminding him of the pace of New York. His cane and walking boot are certainly going to hold him back here, and he decides tomorrow is the day he ditches them.

The security into the building is tight, but Logan's newly-acquired credentials let him head straight to the top floor. Coming off the elevator, he walks right into someone, knocking all of his papers onto the ground.

"Sorry. I wasn't even looking," Logan apologizes as he squats down to help the man gather his things.

"No worries," the stranger says as he looks up and sees Logan. "Oh. You're Mr. Huntzberger. We met in February when you were here. I'm Steven. I'm actually going to be your secretary. Let me show you to your office."

Logan follows Steven down the hall toward the back corner, sizing Steven up as they walk. He is young, maybe Logan's age, with dark hair that falls into his eyes. His suit is nice, well-tailored. _I was so pissy that weekend,_ _I don't remember him at all._

"Here we go, Mr. Huntzberger. I've set everything up as well as possible, but obviously just let me know what changes need to be made."

"Oh, call me Logan. Mr. Huntzberger is my father." _I can't believe I actually just used that line._ Shaking his head, he continues, "And Paul said you fixed the apartment. It's perfect. Thanks."

"The apart- oh, you mean the flat."

"Yes, the flat. Gonna have to work on my slang here." The two men share a awkward laugh.

"Yes, well same goes for the flat as the office. Let me know as changes need to be made. And we are going to be hiring you a personal assistant to take care of your groceries, cleaning, and other sundries."

Logan frowns. "I don't really need all that. I can do that stuff for myself."

"Yes, sir, but your mother called me personally and-"

 _WHAT?_

"My mother called? Okay, Steven. First rule. You do, unfortunately, have to answer to my father, but feel free to ignore my mother. She has no right to… Just forget all that. I am perfectly capable of buying my own groceries."

"Alright, then," Steven replies. "I'll leave you to get settled in. I'll come by when they are ready for you in the conference room. And ring me on line 1 if you need anything. Cheers."

And with that flourish, Logan is left alone in his office. As always, his mind turns to Rory and what she would think of it. _I wish she could see me in here. She would be really proud of me._

 _She should just come to London. She's not taking any classes this summer. And I know she wants to work, but she really doesn't have to. If she needs money, I can just give it to her. I'm really rich, and she should get some perk from that._

He boots up his computer and starts researching flights. He grabs his credit card and is about to purchase one for next week when he pauses to think it through. _Maybe she wants to spend the summer with her mom. They missed last summer together, and they probably want to do a bunch of silly things together this year. Like… play racquetball._

 _But I have to do something. I feel so lost without her physically near me._

As a compromise, he looks at tickets for December. _Lorelei will have to share her then. She just will._

 _I want her here for all of Christmas break. Maybe Italy, maybe France. It'll be so romantic._

 _That's it. I'm buying these._

He prints boarding passes and asks Steven if he will overnight them to her. Just as he heads back into his office, his cell phone rings.

"Hello?" he says, trying not to sound too eager.

"Hey!" she says excitedly.

"Hey!"

"I'm sorry for calling so early. Did I wake you?" she asks.

He laughs. "I'm actually at the office."

"On a dare?" she deadpans.

"It's my first day, Ace," he explains. "So I'm trying to make a good impression."

"So you're like... dressed and everything?" she asks, incredulous.

He grins. "New suit, new shoes. I even brushed my hair." He eases down into his chair.

"So how's the office? Is it fabulous? Do you have a window?" Her questions come fast and furious.

"I wouldn't say it's fabulous, but I do have a window." _I knew she would be proud._

"Can you see the queen?"

"Actually, my office looks out at Piccadilly Circus," he responds.

"So you can just see elephants and clowns walking past your building all day long? That must be nice," Rory jokes.

He smirks. "It's brilliant."

"Brilliant? Oh my God, you're turning British! Do you have a secretary named Moneypenny?"

"My secretary's name is Steven."

"Steven Moneypenny?"

"Yes!" he laughs.

"So…" she hesitates. "I just wanted to thank you for the rocket."

"You already thanked me."

"I know I did, but I wanted to thank you again," she stammers. "I'm not sure I conveyed how much I loved it in our last conversation. I really, really loved it."

 _That's the reaction I was hoping for._

"I'm glad."

"I can't wait to come see you, Logan. I can't wait," she gushes.

"I already got you a ticket," he tells her.

"You're kidding!"

"I got it right here," he says, thinking of the dates, wishing they were sooner. "I was gonna Fed Ex it to you. You should have it tomorrow."

"Oh, my God!" she says, excitedly.

"So tell your mom you're not gonna be home for Christmas."

"Christmas?" She sounds disappointed.

 _Shit, I know she likes to spend the holidays with Lorelei. I just... have to convince her to spend it with me this year.  
_

"Two weeks, just you and me," he presses on. _She's got to come here._ "I've already cleared it with my Dad." _Liar._ "It's gonna be amazing. I'm still playing with the itinerary." _Stop rambling._ "But how do you feel about London, Paris, and Rome?" _Please. I need this to look forward to._

"Wow," she says flatly.

 _She's still not convinced._

"I figured we'd do a week in London, then a quick train ride, and we do three days in Paris, and we finish our trip with a four day sojourn in Rome. And we still have enough time for one last night in London before you have to fly back home." He finally takes a breath.

"Logan, that sounds… amazing," Rory says. _Thank God._

He looks up to see Steven waving at him in the doorway.

"Oh, hey, Ace, I should take off. My first staff meeting. They're waving me in."

"Oh. Okay, good luck," she wishes him.

"Alright. Thanks. Cheers."

"Cheers."

 _Cheers? What the hell is wrong with me?_ _I'm not actually fucking British._ He closes his phone. _How about 'I love you, I miss you, Life sucks here without you?'_

Steven leads him into a conference room filled with who he assumes will be his co-workers. The space is dominated with men in suits, yet a woman is the first to come and greet him.

"Hi. You must be our newest colleague. I'm Bobbi. Welcome to HMG."

 _Wow. They don't know who I am._

Thinking fast, he smiles his most charming smile and replies "I'm Logan. Happy to be here."

"This is Phillip and Nick and Will and..." She turns to the room and raises her voice. "Oi. This is Logan. You lot can introduce yourselves!"

One man, who he believes was named Nick, comes forward to shake his hand. "Tough week to start, mate. The CEO is in tomorrow, and he is a right prick."

Logan laughs. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Oh, a Yank! Where are you from?"

"Connecticut-" he begins, but trails off as Nigel Adams enters the conference room. Everyone quietly chooses a seat and sits down.

 _Well that was fun while it lasted._

Nigel waves him forward to the head of the table and introduces him. "I see some of you have already met, but this is Logan Huntzberger. He's going to be overseeing the webpage changes, so many of you will be reporting to him. Logan, any words?"

 _Charming._

"Well, like Nigel said, I'm Logan Huntzberger, but my name does not in any way mean I'm your boss. I'm a part of your team. I'm excited to be here, and I can't wait to get started. My office is down the hall, and you can drop by anytime."

Logan sits as Nigel takes over. "As I am your boss, I am going to need reports from…"

* * *

When the meeting finally breaks, Logan heads down to his office and settles down in front of his computer. Nick ( _Nick?_ ) knocks against his door and steps into the office when Logan waves him in.

"Mate, what I said earlier… About your father… I was just…"

"Don't even worry about it. He is a prick. I would know better than anyone," Logan reassures him. "And I'm not here to be his eyes and ears or anything. I am just here for the job, and I plan on talking to Mitchum as little as possible."

Nick nods slowly. "Okay, well, welcome to the team." He leaves the office, then returns, and pokes his head back in. "We all go for pints on Monday after work at the bar on the first floor. Do you want to come?"

 _I need to talk to Rory, but I suppose this is how I will get everyone to know me beyond my last name._

"Sure, I'll be there."

The day drags. Logan meets more people than he can count, and he sits in on meeting after meeting. He gives his input when asked and is slightly surprised that he actually knows what he is talking about. His colleagues seem to respect his opinions, and he is proud of himself in a way that he hasn't been in a long time. He wants to share this feeling with Rory so badly, but when he calls her at the end of his day, it goes straight to voicemail.

Bobbi comes by at the end of the day to collect him. In the elevator, she asks questions about America, his broken leg ( _I do not want them to know that story_ ), and generally talks his ear off.

But once inside the pub, he immerses into the group. Everyone gets rowdy quickly, and Logan realizes that this is a group he can live with. Laughter comes easily, and he begins to feel comfortable. There is only one thing keeping this from being a great first day.

On cue, his cell phone rings. "Ace?" he yells above the noise of the pub.

"Logan?" she asks faintly.

"Babe. Hold on. Let me get somewhere quieter." He hands his pool stick to Will and motions that he is heading outside.

"Hey, can you hear me now?" he asks her as he steps out the door.

"Yes. How was your first day? Sounds loud."

"Yeah, sorry about the noise. I felt like I had to come for drinks with everyone. Today actually went very well. My co-workers are all nice, and I think I actually can do this job. I mean, a lot of little things are different than home, but that's to be expected. Like, this morning, I walked into the conference room, and I wanted an everything bagel, and there were just these really dry scones. And I am supposed to drink coffee _only_ in the morning and switch to tea after lunch."

"Well, I'm glad it went well, minus the scones and tea. I knew you could do it," she trails off. He can tell from her voice that something is up. _She's not even commenting about the coffee._

"Ace. What is it?"

"It's stupid, and I don't want to bore you with it. Just a weird day."

Logan takes a deep breath. _What if she can't do the distance? What if she's done with me?_

"Rory, stop. I want to know what's happening with you… Is it me? Are you… upset with me?"

"No. No, Logan, it's… My mom slept with my dad," she says.

"What?" he exclaims. "What about Luke?"

"I guess… they broke up or something, and she went straight to Boston and slept with Dad."

"Okay... So putting aside how weird it is that you know these types of things about your parents, is this a bad thing? I mean, I know you love Luke, but don't you want your parents back together?" he asks.

"I don't know yet. Probably. But it will inevitably blow up, and then things will be really awkward for me. And I think Dad really wants this to happen, and Mom is just rebounding. It's… I don't know. I think I need a little more time to process. I'm so irritated with Mom. And I couldn't get a hold of you, so I went to Lane," she begins to ramble. "She came home from Mexico, and she's devastated. Apparently, the sex was bad, and now she thinks it's an international conspiracy."

"Back up. The sex was bad? Honeymoon sex? Isn't that supposed to be like the best sex you can have?"

"I know! I guess they only did it once. On the beach with sand and actual crabs, and plus it was her first time," Rory says.

"Ouch. Yeah, sex on the beach is never as sexy as it sounds," Logan agrees.

"Oh, do you have a little experience with that?"

"Rory…" he cautions.

"Sorry. Anyway, she thinks sex is always this torture for women, and it's some elaborate scheme not to tell the truth."

Logan laughs. "What did you tell her?"

"That sex is actually great, and she should try it in a bed."

He smiles. _You got that right._

"And I hope Zach will just… say and do the right things," she continues. "He's not exactly smart when it comes to reading Lane's feelings. I know they're married, but I don't think they are actually all that _close_. Not like we are."

In that moment, he misses her so much, he loses all of his resolve from this morning. "I wish you were here. Forget Christmas. Do you want to come this summer?"

"Do you _want_ me to come?" she asks, tentatively.

"God, of course I do. I've been trying for weeks not to come off as needy, but fuck it, Rory. I'm needy. I _need_ you."

"Me, too. And I want to come there. I want to so badly…"

"Okay, then let's make it happen. As soon as you want."

"I don't know, Logan. I've thought about it a lot today, and I feel like it may be good for us to do this apart."

 _What?_

"No. I don't want to break up, Rory."

"I don't want that either! That's not what I mean. I just think you need to focus on your career and your colleagues. Honestly, would you have gone out with everyone tonight if I was waiting at home for you?" Rory asks.

"Probably not, but they suck anyway." He exhales loudly. "It's all football, football, Oasis, football."

"You just said that you liked them!"

"Well, I lied," he lies. "I want you to come here."

Rory sighs. "Let's stick it out a little longer. Enough time for you to get settled in your job and your neighborhood. Maybe right before school starts, I'll come visit. What do you think?"

"I think… that I love you. And you're the smartest person I know, so I will follow your advice, even though I don't like it."

They chat for a few more minutes, until there is no part of their days they haven't covered. As they hang up, Logan leans back against the bench and closes his eyes. _She's probably right. I need to be focused on work, especially with Mitchum coming tomorrow._

He calls Paul to come get him and goes back inside the pub to say his goodbyes. _They're not actually a bad group. I just need to figure out the EPL. What is the difference between Manchester United and Manchester City anyway?  
_

* * *

He is in the office early again on Tuesday. He needs his game face on before he meets with Mitchum. His father orders him around all day, and is basically, well, a right prick. The day flies by, and he is so busy that he never has a chance to call Rory until he gets home. He leaves a quick voicemail, then starts getting ready for bed. The time change is catching up with him, and he can barely stay awake. He texts Rory that he is going to sleep and that he will call her tomorrow.

Wednesday, he arrives around 7:30 and tells Steven to block off time for him after lunch to call Rory. Mitchum keeps him busy straight through lunch, and at 3:00 the meeting finally breaks. He settles for voicemail again.

His dad insists they have dinner together that night, further blocking his time. _Is he doing this shit on purpose? I'm never going to get to talk to her._

By Thursday, Logan has hit his breaking point. He tells Mitchum in no uncertain terms that he needs a break and goes into his office, closing the door behind him. He dials her number, desperate to hear her voice.

"Hey!" she answers, after a few rings.

"Ace! I'm so glad I finally caught you. It's been three days," Logan laments.

"I know. I hate it. How is everything?" she asks him.

"Sucks. Mitchum is just running me ragged, and I don't like not being able to hear your voice every day." He sighs. "What's been going on?"

"Everything's fine, but I've been kind of bored without you. I'm tutoring this sweet kid, and Lane- oh my God. Lane is pregnant!"

"What? From the bad honeymoon sex? Wow, whose puppy did Lane run over?"

"I know. And she is freaking out. She hasn't even told Zach yet, so I have been trying to help her through it. I'm not sure I am though."

"Come on," he says. "You're a great friend, and your advice is usually spot on."

"Hmm. I don't know. Fortunately, I haven't had to go through this myself. What about you?" she asks.

"Have I ever gotten pregnant from bad sex on the beach?" he jokes.

"Shut up. I meant- how is work? Any new friends yet?"

"Work sucks. It's boring and hard. I think I'm doing pretty well though. I guess I actually learned something after five years at Yale," he laughs.

Mitchum knocks on his door, opening it before Logan can even acknowledge him. "Logan. Get off the phone. Your team is waiting."

Logan rolls his eyes. "Ace, I gotta go. I'll call you tonight. I wanna hear about your tutoring, and… everything else."

"Oh, I can't. I'm going to Friday night dinner."

"Wait, what? I mean, I know I've been a little jet-lagged, but it's Thursday, right?" he asks.

"Yes, but Mom can't go tomorrow, and we haven't been in a few weeks. Grandma is insisting, and you know how she is about the phone at the table. Can you call me before you start in the morning?"

"I have to be here really early tomorrow. It'll be the middle of the night for you," he says.

"I don't care what time it is. Just call me when you can. Promise me."

"Okay. I'll talk to you in the morning. I love you."

"Love you, too," she replies.

Logan heads to the conference room with a little more pep in his step.

* * *

In what is becoming the norm, Logan is in the office early on Friday morning. He has an early prep with Mitchum before he is introduced to the board as a full-fledged member. _I know she's asleep, but I've got to get a call in with her before all of this shit starts._

He dials her number from his office phone.

"Hi," she whispers. _Crap, she's really asleep._

"Morning, Ace," he says as Steven brings in a coffee tray. "Thanks," Logan acknowledges.

"How's your day going?" Rory asks.

"My day hasn't started yet. How was your yesterday?"

He hears her yawn. "I'm still sleepy."

 _Ugh. This time difference blows._ "I can let you go back to sleep."

"No, no. I'm up. I'm up. What happened yesterday?"

"My yesterday or your yesterday?" He thinks of a point he wants to make with Mitchum _(I need a little bit more personal time)_ , scribbles it on a post- it, and sticks it to his screen.

"Either one," she says.

"Let's see. I had a scone for breakfast. Not as dry as Monday's, but I still think there's room for improvement. And then I went into a meeting with about eighteen different department heads, all of whom I believe are named Nigel, and that meeting lasted for about nine hours."

"Was it a cranberry scone?"

"Blueberry." He writes a new post-it. _'Think of better things to talk to Rory about.'_ He sticks it to his monitor.

"Those are my favorite kind."

"Your turn." _Please have something better than dry scones. This may be our only conversation for a while._

"Well I'm tutoring this new kid Benji. And, oh, it was really funny, because he kept misusing this word. I don't remember what word it was, but... it'll come to me. Anyway, he kept misusing it, and I didn't want to correct him cause I didn't want him to feel embarrassed."

An IM from Steven pops up on his monitor. **Your father is waiting for you in the conference room.**

Rory continues, "But then, he messed up on the work sheet, and he realized all by himself that he had misused the word." She laughs. "I guess it wasn't funny 'ha-ha,' it was more… funny 'you had to be there.'"

He whips off a reply to Steven. **Tell my father to go fuck himself. It's 7:00 AM.**

"That's okay," he tries to reassure Rory. _God, why is this so awkward?_

"Are you working?" she asks, crestfallen.

 _Shit she heard me typing._ "Just IMing."

"If you have to go…"

"No! I just have to let my assistant know I'm on the phone with you so I'll be two minutes late to the meeting," he says.

"I don't want you to be late for your meeting."

"It's no problem. I don't mind." _I would rather hear your voice than do anything constructive in this office._

"Now I feel like I have to come up with something really great to talk about," Rory says.

"No pressure."

He gets another IM from Steven. **I told your father you would be a minute, and now he is walking toward your office.**

"Ohh." _I hate him._

"What?" she asks.

"Nothing," he says quickly.

"Now you really have to go…"

Mitchum pokes his head into Logan's office. "Well, yeah."

"Philanthropic," she exclaims.

"What?"

"Philanthropic. That was the word Benji kept misusing. He kept saying 'philan-tropic.' He thought it meant tropical. It was funny."

"I'll call you tonight," Logan promises.

"My tonight or your tonight?" Rory asks.

"Gotta go, Ace," he says, hanging up and glaring at his father.

"Dad, seriously, come on. You have been up my ass since you got here. We still have plenty of time before everyone else arrives."

"This is your future, Logan. Walk with me. When everyone arrives, and we make the formal introduction, I want you at your best. No sarcasm, no smugness, none of it. You got me?"

Logan nods.

"So, how is Rory?" Mitchum asks.

"I wouldn't know."

* * *

After work that day, Paul drives Logan home so that he can quickly change into dinner clothes. Several members of the board want to take him out. ("Tradition!")

He sees a missed call from Rory and tries to get back to her. He leaves a voicemail explaining where he is going, but that he will take her call whenever it is.

Logan can admit that dinner is good, and the scotch is even better, but hanging out with sixty-year-olds is just not his idea of a good time. He tries to check his phone discreetly every few minutes until Mitchum finally says "Just go outside and call her."

Logan excuses himself from the table and heads to the door. Just as he pushes it open, he feels his phone buzz in his pocket. He opens it up to find a text message from Rory.

 **Presently a wave of passion swept over us and our hands groped frantically for the burning flesh.**

 _Holy shit. Is she… is she trying to have text sex?_


	3. Chapter 3

Author Note: Logan's inner thoughts in italics.

All characters belong to Gilmore Girls and WB. Quotes belong to Sexus, Pride and Prejudice, and The Great Gatsby.

Thank you to everyone who reads and reviews!

* * *

 **Presently a wave of passion swept over us and our hands groped frantically for the burning flesh.**

He reads her text again and again.

 **Presently a wave of passion swept over us and our hands groped frantically for the burning flesh.**

 _She's either being sexy or she accidentally quoted her women's studies term paper to me. With Rory, it could be either one._

 _God, I hope she's being sexy. I haven't figured out how to broach this subject with her yet; maybe she's doing it for me._

 _Although, I am usually the one who has to be forward about sex. She loves it, but she can't talk about it. She gets so flushed and shy._

 **Presently a wave of passion swept over us and our hands groped frantically for the burning flesh.**

 _It sounds like something I should know, but I can't place it._

He leans back against the building and racks his brain, but the origin doesn't come to him.

 _I can't call her now- not until I decide what I think she's doing here. If she's being sexy, I obviously want to encourage her. If it's an accident, I don't want to come off like an idiot. Or for her to feel like I'm pushing her into phone sex. Even though I really want to have phone sex._

He closes his eyes and exhales.

 _I knew I would miss her, but I didn't count on not being able to_ _ **know**_ _her. Without being physically close, it's harder than I thought to know what she's thinking. Her eyes always give her away._

"Logan. What's taking so long?"

 _I'm thinking about sending sexy texts to my girlfriend who you hate. God. He has the worst timing._

"I'm just taking a minute, Dad."

"Son, there are a lot of important-"

"Give me a break, Dad. I moved here five days ago. And in that time, I have worked and slept. Slept and worked. Nothing else. I haven't had a spare second to get used to the time difference or the accents or the schedule. I haven't been to the grocery store or even seen the park I live in. I haven't complained, and I've done well.

I just… need some space. Come on, Dad. I never appeal to your sentiments, but you have to understand how hard this has been for me. I'm up to the challenge. We both know I can do everything you hired me to do. I just need a break right now. Please?"

 _I fucking hate begging him for stuff._

Mitchum stares him down. "Okay. You can have the weekend. I'm flying to Chicago tomorrow, so I won't be on top of you to make sure that you're ready for the launch. Do not make me regret giving in to you right now."

"I'll be ready," Logan says. "My team is good, and we've got five more weeks."

"Don't let me down. Now come say good night. Do you remember everyone's names?"

Logan rolls his eyes and follows his father back into the restaurant.

* * *

Back in his apartment, Logan takes off his jacket, pops open a beer, and relaxes for what feels like the first time in weeks. He turns on the TV to an episode of Big Brother and thinks about Rory. For the first time since his accident, he has no clue what to say to her.

He opens his laptop and googles the quote, hoping to glean some insight.

 _Henry Miller. Of course. Woah… This is about an orgy. So she's definitely sex texting. (Sexting?) I should find an appropriate quote to text her back. So that we're doing this on her terms and her comfort level._

He reads through the various passages and determines that Henry Miller comes off as kind of a selfish asshole. There is nothing here for him to work with.

 _Maybe I can twist her quote into something I want to say._

 **My flesh burns for you too.**

 _Nope. Delete._

 **I want to grope**

 _Uh-uh._

 **An orgy? I'm sorry to tell you I'm a one-woman man.**

 _No. Delete this too. I don't want her to think I'm not taking this seriously._

 _What would I say if she were here? What is the classy version of 'I wish I could fuck you right now, too'?_

 **I could spend all night reminding you how amazing that passion feels.**

He reads his words a few times. It feels appropriate and safe. He decides to sit on it for a bit. There is too much at stake here.

He heads to the shower, and begins washing the day off. He's exhausted, but as he pictures Rory in the library reading Henry Miller and thinking of him, his body awakens. He remembers their last night together and begins to take matters into his own hands. He comes hard under the hot water.

Wrapping a towel around his waist, he walks back out into the living room and reads his text one last time.

 _I want her, and I want her to know it. It's good. Send._

Feeling slightly anxious, Logan waits up, watching TV for an hour or so, hoping she will text him back tonight. He falls asleep on the couch with his phone in his hand.

* * *

The doorbell rings, awakening Logan from a deep sleep. He picks his head up from the couch and stretches his sore neck.

His moving company is at the door delivering his things from home. He starts a pot of coffee and begins directing the movers throughout the apartment.

 _Nothing from Rory._

He is so excited to have his desktop back that he immediately starts hooking it up.

 _Was it too much?_

He hangs all of his clothes and suits in his new closet.

 _Did I scare her off?_

He starts putting his books on the shelf but stops when he comes to Pride and Prejudice.

 _This is Rory's._

He opens the book and smells it, which feels oddly appropriate. A piece of Rory's stationary flutters out.

" **I cannot fix on the hour, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun."**

 **Something to remind you of me.**

 **I love you, Rory**

Logan is overcome with emotions. He wants to tell the movers to get out, take it all back to Connecticut because he is going home. He wants to call his father and tell him to fuck off- he won't work here. He wants to call Rory and tell her that he too cannot not remember his life before he loved her.

But he doesn't do any of these things.

He checks his phone again and finds no new texts.

 _I am driving myself crazy. I have got to get a grip._

He puts on his running shoes and heads out to explore Hyde Park, deciding to leave his phone behind. His injuries have made running still out of the question, but he reasons that a slow stroll would be fine.

He walks for about an hour taking in all the sights and sounds of the park. It is similar to Central Park in look, with a decidedly English feel. His right leg begins aching, and he sits down in the grass to rest.

He is finally feeling relaxed when he hears a familiar voice. "Logan?"

He looks over to see Bobbi and another man heading his way. She introduces him to her boyfriend, Harry, and invites him to brunch.

Logan doesn't really want to go, but Rory's voice in his head pushes him to accept.

 _Bobbi annoys the shit out of me, but at least I can tell Ace that I have now said hello to a William and a Harry. Besides, I'm hungry._

Brunch is good, though very different from what he is used to. Harry is a reporter for a rival paper, and he tells great stories. Bobbi chatters all through the meal. Logan is warming to her. _She never shuts up, but she has good intentions._

Logan says his goodbyes and wanders back through the park towards his apartment. Once inside, he loses his internal battle not to check his phone again ( _empty_ ), takes a couple of percoset, and turns on an EPL match. He has got to start understanding this league if he wants to have any friends here.

He can't, however, stop checking his phone. _This feels like right before my accident when I never knew where she was or what she was thinking. At least I know, or I hope, she is not about to dump me this time._

Will texts to see if he wants to come over with some friends to watch the Man U match, and Logan decides to go. Will has been the friendliest to him of all the guys at work, and it will fill the hours before he can sleep again.

 _I didn't want to go to brunch, and I don't want to go out now._

He is not sure when he became this apathetic loner, but he takes this as a good opportunity to be social and regain his sense of self. _Logan Huntzberger is the life of the party._

And he actually has fun. These guys drink beer instead of liquor and watch EPL instead of NFL, but otherwise, this could pass for the LBD. He manages to forget about Rory and his loneliness for a few hours. _Which was the point._

But once home, he begins maniacally checking his phone again. He is scared to call her, in case his message has been received poorly. But he can't let it go. Before he goes to bed, he shoots her a quick email.

 **Hey Ace,**

 **I sent you a text last night that I'm nervous about. If you just haven't gotten it yet, disregard this. If it has freaked you out, just ignore it and we will never speak of it again. Either way, call me soon so I know what you are thinking.**

 **Love, L**

He drifts off into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

Logan's eyes snap open and adjust to the darkness. He grabs the phone before it can ring again.

"Ace?" _No one else would call in the middle of the night._

"Hey, how's it going?" she responds, nonchalantly.

He turns on the lamp and checks the clock. "It's 4:45 in the morning. Are you okay? Did something happen?" he says, panicking.

"Not really. Um, I just… I sent you a text the other day."

He chuckles. "Yeah, I know. I texted you back."

"No, you didn't," she says.

 _Oh thank God. She just hasn't seen mine yet._ "Yes, I did. Check your phone."

"I don't have any missed calls," she argues. "Oh, wait. There's a little envelope thingy in the bottom corner."

"Get out of town," he deadpans.

"It went directly to my saved messages. Why would it do that?" she asks.

"I couldn't tell you." _I'm just so glad you haven't been ignoring it. Though I am nervous for you to read it now._

"Ooh, wow. Whoa, yours is really good."

Logan lets out a sigh of relief.

"Okay, well sorry to wake you. Um, I'll talk to you in a few hours," Rory says.

 _What? No way._

"Whoa, wait a minute. Where do you think you're going?" he asks her.

"Um, to sleep."

"No, I don't think so. You woke me up. I'm up. Text me back," he says, reaching for his cell.

"You want me to text you back- now?"

"You started this," he reminds her.

"I know. But I don't have my books with me." Her voice is so small, causing Logan to grin at her innocence.

"You don't need your books, Ace," he says seductively.

"Logan-"

"I miss you, Rory," he cuts her off. _We can do this. We're ready for this._

"You do?"

"Yeah," he laughs. _You have no idea._

"I miss you too. But I can't text you with you on the phone," Rory says.

"Okay, so hang up."

"I'm gonna hang up now." _She is stalling, and it is so cute._

"Okay."

"Okay, bye," she says.

"Bye," he says back as he sets the receiver down.

He tries to wait patiently, but he is too amped to sit still. He gets up and wanders the room for a few minutes until he hears the ping.

 **I miss touching you. I miss you touching me.**

 _Simple. Direct. Totally Rory. And I miss all that too. I should keep this PG for her._

But as he thinks about their sex life, it is not PG. He decides to be a bit bolder. He is ready to get this moving.

 **I want to put my mouth all over your body until you are quivering beneath me.**

He sends without rereading. This is not the time for second guessing.

Her response is much quicker this time.

 **Wow. I'm kind of quivering right now.**

He reaches under the covers and slides off his boxers.

 **Good. I'm getting pretty worked up myself.**

He hits send and then quickly begins typing again.

 **Anything you want to do to me?**

Logan thinks of all the things he wishes she were doing to his body and absent-mindedly starts stroking himself. By the time she responds, he is completely hard and ready.

 **Lots. I'm embarrassed.**

He laughs. _Of course she is. Okay. I'll take the lead this time._

 **Touch yourself the way I touch you. I want you so wet you are begging for me.**

This is more forward and explicit than he has ever been with her. She doesn't respond for a few minutes, and he nervously types out another text.

 **You okay? Too much?**

A few minutes later, he hears the ping he is listening for.

 **No. I was just following instructions. I'm a good student. Are you touching yourself the way I touch you?**

He quickly responds so that he can get to work.

 **Yes, and I need my hands. Just think of me and all the ways I know how to get you off. I'll get back to you in a few.**

He puts down his phone and quickens his pace on his erection. He hears Rory's breathy moans as she moves on him. Up, down, and around. Up, down, and around. He sees her breasts moving in front of him. His brain is totally enmeshed in fantasy.

 _Her ass. Her tits. My dick in her… Fuck._

Everything explodes in him as he groans loudly.

He gets out of bed and heads to the shower, jumping in and out quickly.

He gets back in bed and grabs his cell.

 **I love you.**

Within moments, she responds.

 **I love you too. I'll call you when I wake up. Go back to sleep.**

He smiles, and then flips over to his stomach for the best sleep he's had in London.

* * *

Logan wakes up feeling great. He grabs The Great Gatsby and Rory's copy of Pride and Prejudice. He heads out the door and walks the streets until he comes to a coffee shop. He heads in and orders coffee and a toasted ham and cheese.

He reads and re-reads Rory's note. _I want her to feel the way this makes me feel._

He skims through the text until he comes to the passages he is looking for. There are too many beautiful lines here for him to pick just one. He pulls a sheet of paper from his messenger bag and scrawls:

" **I can't describe to you how surprised I was to find out I find I loved her, old sport…**

 **There I was, way off my ambitions, getting deeper in love every minute, and all of a sudden I didn't care."**

 **Something to remind you of me.**

 **Logan**

He folds the paper, puts it in the book, and finishes his breakfast. He asks his waitress about a post office, and she reminds him that it is Sunday. _First thing tomorrow, I'll send this to her._

He heads back toward his apartment with a big smile on his face.

* * *

He is unpacking odds and ends when Rory calls later that day.

"Hey, you," he says.

"Hey… are you alone?" she asks.

Logan laughs. "Yes. Are you trying to get a second round? Careful, Ace. You'll make me feel used."

"Logan! I am not trying to- I just wanted to say… I'm sorry for being so embarrassed earlier. You must think I'm so immature."

"Baby, there is nothing to be sorry for. It was awesome, and we'll get better at this," he reassures her.

"You know- it was my first time. For all of it," she says.

Logan's brow furrows. "You mean the phone sex, right?"

"And," she admits, "I've never masturbated before."

Her voice is soft, and Logan is not sure he has heard her correctly.

"You've _never_ masturbated before?"

"Don't make fun of me!"

"Rory. I'm not," he says. "I'm just surprised. You're a twenty-two year woman with a… _healthy_ sex drive." _She really likes sex._

"I know, but I wasn't really like this until you. With Dean-"

"Stop."

"It was different," she rambles on, despite his objections. "I didn't really care about sex one way or the other. With you, I want it a lot. But we live together, so if I need to get laid, you are pretty much always up for it."

Logan laughs because she is completely right. "But what about when I was in Europe last summer?"

"Well, I probably should have. You remember what I was like when you came home. We didn't leave the pool house. Ever. We missed dinner more times than we went to dinner."

"It was a nice few weeks," he agrees with her, smiling at the memory.

"So… is that something you do a lot?" she asks, timidly.

"Well, yeah. I'm a twenty-four year old guy."

"But I'm pretty much always up for it too."

"Sure. But sometimes you're on your period, or you've gone to class and you won't be home for a while, or… I don't know. It's not a big deal, Ace. It doesn't mean that you're not enough. I promise. It's just something I do. It's something I think most guys do."

There is an awkward silence.

"How was it?" he finally asks her.

She doesn't respond, and he asks "How red is your face right now?"

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be such a prude."

"Ace, it's just me. You can tell me anything. And I _know_ you're not a prude," he says.

"It was good. But not as good as when you do it. I couldn't… finish. It was a little frustrating," she admits.

"Not surprising. I'm very talented."

Rory laughs. "Oh, I know."

He laughs too. "We can practice whenever you want."

* * *

The next month is very busy for him work-wise, as they gear up to launch the new website. He is overseeing a group of six, who all report to him. He has to admit that he likes the position of authority. Unfortunately, it has limited his time to be in touch with Rory.

They have talked and texted, but the five hour time difference is taking its toll. The disconnect is still palpable some times, and he hates that he is beginning to feel normal without her.

She has gotten more comfortable with her texting, but he is still surprised when he answers the phone a few weeks later and she asks "Whatcha wearing?"

He laughs. "A suit. I'm on the street with everyone getting lunch."

"That's too bad," she coos. "I just woke up from a very good dream, and I was hoping you'd be alone."

 _Shit. I can't pass that up._

"Alright. Let me get back to my office, and I'll text you."

He makes his excuses to his colleagues and hurries back into the office. Once up the elevator, he shuts the door behind him and closes his blinds. _I've got 27 minutes until everyone is back here._

 **So was I in this dream?**

She responds quickly.

 **Actually, no. Jude Law. But, he's blond and British, so I was obviously thinking about you subconsciously.**

Logan laughs and types out a quick reply.

 **I promise there is nothing he could do for you that I can't do better.**

He knows Rory is blushing now, and he feels his own body start to generate heat. _I can't do this in my office. Nigel is out there. And I have a meeting with him in 24 minutes._

But as the texts heat up, he cannot stop his body's reaction. He unzips his pants and quickly relieves himself. He uses tissues to clean himself up and heads to the bathroom to wash his hands. His co-workers are piling off of the elevator as he walks past, and he moves past them quickly, hoping no one suspects what he has spent his lunch break doing.

 _I've got to get a better schedule than this. I've got to get her to come here. So I can actually touch her instead of jerking off in my office over lunch._

His meeting is about to start so he sends off one last text.

 **I have worked hard and made friends. That was the deal. How about a quick trip to London before school starts? Please. I miss you.**

* * *

Hey guys! I wrote a one-shot based off of this story that is called It Doesn't Happen to Every Guy (And it is a big deal). It's M, so check it out if that's your thing!


	4. Chapter 4

Author Note: All characters belong to Gilmore Girls. And I guess now Netflix. Logan's inner thoughts in italics.

* * *

Seven days. There are only seven days until he sees her. Touches her. Holds her. He is consumed with work, but the thoughts keep popping into his head.

The new website launches Monday, and he needs a week for maintenance, trouble-shooting, repair. Rory had planned to finish her tutoring and come to London the week before she needed to be back in New Haven. For six uninterrupted days.

In only seven more days.

Logan IMs his team the schedule for the weekend. They will be busy tying up all the last-minute details.

On his way out for the night, he stops by Steven's desk.

"Hey. Can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure," Steven says.

"My girl is coming to visit the first week of August, and I need to get some things planned. You know the city so much better than I do. Can you make some reservations and put some ideas together for me?" he asks.

"Sure, no problem. What days?"

"Um, not the first night. Maybe not the second, either." Logan thinks that food will be the last thing on their minds for a while.

Steven laughs. "Okay. Just email me the dates. Any food allergies? Preferences?"

"Nope. Rory will eat anything. Just make sure the portion sizes are big."

The weekend is hectic and busy. He has so much riding on this website overhaul. This is his chance to truly make his mark on the company, apart from his name.

All of his hard work pays off on Monday, when the transition completes smoothly.

Rory checks in after she wakes up that morning. "How did it go?"

"Really well. Almost seamless," he responds. "Now I just have to handle individual outlets as they try and start using it. This could be an easy week, or it could be a nightmare."

"Well, just get through it," she says. "Because I will be there in four days."

"I can't wait, Ace. I had Steven make us some reservations, and he got tickets to a play. And we're going to do a pub crawl with some of the guys here."

"Yay! I can't wait to meet your friends," Rory says. "I feel like I know some of them already."

"We're not doing anything the first couple of days though."

"Yeah? Why's that?" she asks.

"Because I am not letting you out of bed," he quips.

"I'm so ready. It can't get here fast enough. I've already started packing, and I'm bringing… new lingerie!" she says in a sing-song voice.

Logan's mind shifts into overdrive.

"Come on, Ace. That's not fair. You know I'm at work right now."

"It's lacy and black…"

"I'm hanging up now."

 _Shit. How am I supposed to act like a professional when I'm sitting at my desk with a hard-on?_

* * *

Tuesday afternoon, his father walks into his office.

"Hey, Dad. I didn't know you were in town. Is it on my calendar?" Logan asks.

"No," Mitchum replies. "Last minute thing. You've done a good job here, Logan."

 _This is unexpected_. "Wow. Thanks Dad. I'm really happy with how everything turned out. Visually, the new logo looks-"

Mitchum interrupts him. "We're having some problems though."

"Oh… it seemed like- I haven't had much push back from any of the managers."

"In general, yes. But some of our smaller markets don't have full IT departments. They just have liason IT guys, and they're struggling with some of the interactive features. Subscriptions, ordering. Important stuff," Mitchum says.

"Okay, where?" Logan asks. "I'll start making calls."

"Actually, I think it would be better if you and I traveled. We'll take some IT experts and personally get all of our offices on track."

Alarm bells start going off in Logan's head.

"When are you thinking about doing this?" Logan asks, nervously.

"I've already scheduled the jet for Thursday morning, so go ahead and start packing. I figure we'll be gone anywhere from ten days to three weeks. It really just depends on how big the problems are."

 _No. No, no, no, no, no, no._

"No, Dad. Rory is flying over here on Friday. I haven't seen her in weeks," he pleads.

"Can she just postpone until we get back?" Mitchum asks.

"No. She can't. School is starting."

"Sorry, Son. But we have to get this done. Your website can't be successful if everyone doesn't know how to use it to its full potential," Mitchum says.

"Dad-"

"The world doesn't revolve around your relationship, Logan."

 _I will not cry in front of him._

"Where are we going?" _Maybe Rory can fly somewhere else to me._

"Right now, I am looking at Tampa, Des Moines, Oklahoma City, and a few others. Since we'll have the jet at our disposal, I'm not really setting a strict itinerary," Mitchum answers.

Logan closes his eyes and rubs his temples. "Can you shut the door on your way out?"

Mitchum stares at him for what feels like forever before turning and leaving the office.

He has never dreaded a phone call more.

Rory picks up quickly. "Three more days!"

 _How am I going to tell her?_

"Logan, are you there?"

"Yeah, Ace. I'm here. I have some bad news," he says.

"Are you okay?" she asks.

"No," he answers, truthfully. "I have to go out of town."

"When?"

"Thursday."

"But, I'm-"

"I know, Rory. I am so sorry. My dad is making me go with him to several branches and train them how to use the website," he says.

She doesn't say anything for a moment.

"Where are you going?" she finally asks him. "Can I meet you somewhere else?"

"I tried, but there is no set agenda. We're taking the company jet and just flying wherever the biggest fire is. I'm so sorry, Ace. I promise, I'm just as devastated as you are."

"I just really wanted to see you," Rory says in a small voice. He can hear the tears building.

"I know. Me too. I miss you so much," he says.

She suddenly begins to cry harder, sniffling loudly.

"Baby. Please don't cry," Logan says, as his own eyes well up. "I promise. I will make this up to you."

"It's okay. I know it's not your choice," she sniffles. "I'm just really struggling right now without you."

"What's going on? What aren't you telling me?" he questions her.

"It's nothing. I can figure it out on my own."

"Rory-"

"It's embarrassing," she admits.

"Tell me."

She's quiet for a bit, and just when he's about to press her, she responds.

"I'm still not having orgasms."

"What?" He is shocked. "This whole time? I've been gone for _seven_ weeks. Why haven't you told me?"

"Because I kept thinking if I just worked at it more, it would happen. And, again, it's embarrassing. I'm close, but I just can't get over the edge. I have a ridiculous amount of pent-up frustration and energy, and… dammit, I was really looking forward to this week." She starts crying again.

Logan doesn't know what to say. _I've been giving myself orgasms since I was thirteen. I didn't realize it was hard to do._

"Paris says I need a vibrator," she says softly.

"You're talking to Paris about this?"

"Lane is in absolutely no position to give me advice. She thinks I'm _lucky_ not to be having sex. And I didn't think you would want my mom involved."

"Noooo. Paris it is. So let's get you a vibrator," he says.

"Logan," she says. "I can't do that. It would be mortifying."

"Okay. Then just let me take care of it. I'm gonna fix this for you, Rory. We are gonna get you off no matter what it takes," he promises.

Rory giggles. _Thank God._

"There's my girl. I'll send you something, okay? To the apartment- so your mom won't see it. And I am going to find a way to get to you soon, alright? I can have an orgasm, but that doesn't mean I'm not desperate for you too."

He hangs up but is having a hard time thinking about anything else. He knows how important sexual satisfaction is to a healthy relationship.

 _If she's not getting that from me, she might need to get it from some other asshole at Yale. And Philadelphia is only three hours away._

 _Fuck. I have got to fix this._

That afternoon, between conference calls, Logan googles vibrators. Clicking into the first hit, he is immediately inundated with pop-up ads.

 _I am going to bring down the whole building mainframe with porn._

He quickly shuts everything down and decides to just take care of it on his own.

He is no stranger to sex toys, but he has never actually bought a vibrator for a girl before. He normally asks Honor for advice with Rory, but he has no interest in her personal knowledge on this subject.

After work, once he is safely in his apartment, he dials the one girl he knows he can trust to be discreet.

"Logan!" Stephanie cries when she answers. "How are you? We miss you!"

"I'm good. I miss you guys too. How's Colin getting along without me?"

"Oh, he's still in mourning," she laughs. "He- wait, hold on. What?... He wants to know why you're calling me and not him."

"Tell him I'll call him as soon as we hang up. But I have a specific problem I need _your_ help with. Can you talk for a minute? Alone?"

"Sure. Just let me get to my room… Okay. What's up?" she asks.

Logan takes a deep breath, swallowing his embarrassment, and explains his issue to her.

"Am I just your sluttiest friend?" she asks when he is finished.

"Um, you know Finn, right?" he laughs. "No, of course not. I just need some female perspective, and I trust you. And I think Rory would be okay with you knowing this."

"Aww. I miss her, too. I should call her. Anyway, I don't have a ton of experience with this, but I have actually been looking into it lately because when I start at Columbia, and Colin is still here… You probably don't want to know all this," Stephanie rambles.

"Not particularly, but it's only fair, right?"

"Anyways. I think you should start somewhere in the middle. Not the smallest, but not the biggest or most powerful," she says.

Logan chuckles. "Should I be offended?"

"God, no. I know more than I want to know about you. Do you remember my old roommate Juliana? Sophomore year, all she talked about was how great you were in bed, and why weren't you calling her and… ugh. So no, not a slight on you. I just think that's probably the safest way to go."

Logan is embarrassed, as he actually doesn't really remember Juliana.

Luckily, Stephanie breezes past that and gives him more information on types and brands until he feels like he knows what he needs to do.

"Thank you so much for this, Steph. Really. If you could keep this to yourself, I know Rory would really appreciate it," Logan says.

"Sure. Happy to help. Now let me pass you over to Colin before he beats my door down." Stephanie says.

* * *

The next day, Logan tells Steven unequivocally that he will need his full hour for lunch and that he will not accept phone calls. He takes a taxi to Soho. He has gleaned from various nights out with the guys that this is the part of town where all the good stuff happens.

Tucked between a hookah shop and a coffee shop is a sex store, complete with flashing neon lights.

He takes a deep breath and goes in. He is short on time, so he just asks: "Vibrators?"

"Back right corner."

There are more options than he would have thought possible, and he is so glad Rory is not trying to do this on her own. He finds the one he wants and heads to the check-out desk.

"Good choice, mate. This works best with a little lube." The cashier points to the shelf on the wall behind him.

Logan feels his face flush scarlet and replies, "Sure. Throw one of those in too."

"Lube it up, and then it will slip right in your bum."

"Oh, this is not…" _Just get the hell out of here._ "Thanks. Good tip."

He makes his purchase and inquires about the closest postal store. It is walkable, so he quickly heads over there, drops his things in an overnight box, and ships it to New Haven.

He texts Rory in the taxi on the way back to the office.

 **Gift on the way to our house.**

* * *

He is pointedly ignoring his father on the flight on Thursday morning. _I am pissed off and depressed, and he doesn't deserve my goodwill._

He is reading the paper when Mitchum sidles up to him. "Logan. I know you're mad, but you are going to have to get over it. We have to work together for the next few weeks, and I want us presenting a united front. Let's review our strategy."

"You know, you don't have to be such a dick all the time. I mean, have you ever been in love before? Have you ever cared about anyone more than yourself?" Logan asks angrily.

"Yes, Son. I have."

"I'm not talking about whatever arrangement you have with Mom. I'm talking about real, need-it-to-survive love."

"I wasn't talking about your mother either," Mitchum says.

Logan looks up, surprised. "Who was she?"

"My girlfriend at Yale. Her name was Maggie. She actually reminds me a lot of Rory. She was a journalist too. After graduation, she got a job with NBC News and she traveled a lot. I was covering politics for our New York paper. So we tried to do the long distance thing," Mitchum tells him.

"What happened to her?" Logan asks.

"I got your mother pregnant, and Maggie wasn't too happy about it."

"That's not going to happen to Rory and me," Logan says, defiantly.

"I don't want you to be naïve, Logan. Long distance is very hard."

"Well, I'm not a cheater." _As long as I know we're not broken up._

Mitchum shrugs. "Maybe you can be a better man than me."

 _Setting the bar pretty low here._

"She's on CNN now. Maggie," Mitchum continues. "I see her on TV occasionally."

"Do you have any regrets?" Logan asks.

"No. Your mother gave me you and Honor. She runs the social and charitable responsibilities for our family, and we're… good," Mitchum says.

"But, Dad. On her best day, you tolerate her, and on her worst, you're in a hotel room with another woman. Maybe that was okay for me a few years ago, but that's not what I want anymore. I want a wife who I actually want to spend time with."

Mitchum asks, "So you want to marry Rory?"

"Yes," Logan responds. _And you are just going to have to live with it._

Mitchum watches him for a while, not saying anything. Eventually, Logan flips the paper open again, and they go back to ignoring each other.

* * *

Logan spends the next two days hand-holding the managers of the Tampa office. He can't believe in 2006, that there are journalists who are so unfamiliar with the internet. This is not the way he wanted to be spending this week.

Saturday afternoon, they fly to Iowa, and Logan immediately heads to the hotel. He has just finished his room service when Rory calls.

"Hey! How was your flight?"

"Uneventful. Which I guess is good," Logan says. "But this private jet thing is forcing me into close proximity with Mitchum. I have nowhere to escape. The entire two hours was a strategy session. But I don't want to talk about him anymore. How was _your_ day?"

"Good," she responds. "I didn't have much going on, so I drove to New Haven, and I'm in the apartment."

"Really?"

"Yes. Carl called to let me know I had a package at the desk, so I thought I would come up here and get it. Maybe spend a little time in our bed," Rory says, seductively.

Logan begins loosening his tie and responds. "That sounds amazing. I wish I was there with you instead of in this crappy hotel room."

"Hmmm. Do you remember that hotel we stayed in in New York last year? With the big chair?" she asks.

Logan smirks. "I remember the chair. We had _great_ sex in that chair."

Rory is unusually quiet for a few minutes. Then she says, "So I opened my gift from you, but I'm not quite sure what to do."

Logan sheds the rest of his clothes quickly. "Well first, I would say get undressed," he laughs.

She laughs too. "Already done."

"So you called me with a specific focus, huh? It should be easy, Rory. Just use some of the lube and touch yourself."

He hears the vibrator turn on and waits a few moments.

"Oh, God. Wow," she finally says.

Logan chuckles. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. Do you want to text me?"

 _Actually…_

"Nope. I want to stay on the phone," he says.

Rory is quiet, then responds in a small voice. "Okay."

 _Okay. This is my shot. Rory needs this, and I need to be the one to give it to her._

"When you're ready, move it in and out. Just like I do. In and out," he tells her.

"I wish you were here, Logan."

"I am here, baby. I'm right here with you. In and out."

"In New York," she begins. "Do you remember how I got my legs into those openings in the armrests in that chair?"

Oh, he remembered. The angle had been so perfect that they had both been orgasmic almost from the get-go.

"It kept me so close to you… like we were puzzle pieces," Rory says.

"And I'm not complete without you, Ace. I only feel complete when we're together," he admits, his voice raw with emotion.

"Oh, Logan…"

He decides to keep the fantasy going. It seems like it's working for her, and it's definitely working for him.

"We drank a lot of wine at dinner, and you were just buzzed enough to be really loud."

 _The only sound that could be heard above our moans was the smacking of her tits against my chest._

"You could hear our bodies moving together," Logan continues.

 _It sounded like we were making a porno._

"And the way you were rolling your hips on me was… God…"

"And your teeth…" she gasps out.

 _My teeth? What… Oh yeah._

"I put my teeth on your nipple, and you threw your head back and just completely lost control," he says.

Rory takes over the narration. "I was riding you so hard…"

 _God damn._

"And you finished…"

 _Fu-u-uck. Yup. I'm finished._

"But it still felt so good…" she whispers.

 _I've got to get her there._

"That I just kept moving against you…"

"Faster, baby," he encourages her.

"And then… you used your thumb… on my clit…" Her voice is ragged.

"Come for me, Rory," he commands.

"Until I came again… and again… and ah, ah, ah, oh…" she whimpers. She finally sighs, and he knows that sound.

He goes to the bathroom for a wet wash cloth to clean up. Once back on the bed, he listens to her breathing for a few minutes until her rhythm is back to normal.

"So," he finally says. "That happened right? Be honest."

"I did it Logan!"

"I'm proud of you, Ace. I knew you could do it," he grins. "I've got to give Paris credit. The vibrator was a good call."

"Yeah. But actually, I think a lot of it was talking to you. I'm don't know what I've been so scared of," she says.

"It was…" He searches for the words. "Perfect. Good call on that hotel in New York. I'll definitely be using that again."

"For my own edification… Is that how you normally do it? Think about stuff we've done? Or stuff you _want_ to do?" she asks.

Logan answers truthfully. "Both."

"What kinds of things do you want to do? Is it stuff I won't do, or stuff we just haven't done yet?" she continues to quiz him.

"Rory, I can't let you know how depraved my mind is when it comes to you," he laughs.

"No. I don't need to know everything. I'm just curious," she says.

He tries to think of some of his tamer fantasies.

"I think about you in the newsroom a lot. After hours. And I just take you on your desk. Or sometimes, it's the middle of the day, and you pull me into the supply closet. You know the one with the toner and extra paper? And I go down on you until you're screaming, and I have to remind you there are people outside the door."

His confessions are greeted with silence.

 _She wanted to know. Shit, I could have said so much worse. I could have talked about threesomes and bondage.  
_

Suddenly, he hears the vibrator humming again.

"Tell me more about the supply closet."

* * *

Logan is exhausted the next day. He's barely slept, but he's come three times, so he's feeling pretty good.

It wasn't a romantic night in London, but they had done the best they could with cell phones, a vibrator, and a hotel room in Des Moines.

He feels more secure with her than he's felt since he left home. He's ready to deal with Iowa.

* * *

Thirteen days later, Logan is aboard the jet, flying home to London. Seven cities in sixteen days has worn him out.

He has just decided to close his eyes to sleep, when his father approaches.

"You've worked hard, Logan. And now that we're almost done here, I have your next project ready."

"Awesome," Logan says, sarcastically.

"I'm looking at acquiring a website called Mashable. It's social media, which you and your team are very savvy with," Mitchum says.

"Okay." _Whatever._

"Now the creator and owner has just left Scotland and moved to New York," Mitchum continues. "So I expect you will have to travel some."

Logan pulls his eyes up to meet his father's gaze. Mitchum is looking at him pointedly. "Do you think you would be okay with that?"

"Yeah… yes, okay," he says. "I'll get on that as soon as we get home."

 _I'm going to get to Rory. Thanks, Dad._

* * *

A/N: So, the revival? I have mixed feelings. I had really thought that this would be my last Logan-centric story, but that revival is begging for backstory and inner monologue, right? Because Logan is not a cheater. He just said so above :)


	5. Chapter 5

Author Note: All characters belong to Gilmore Girls. Logan's inner thoughts in italics.

* * *

Logan is exhausted. He has been working non-stop for three days exclusively on the proposal to acquire Mashable. He has sat in on every meeting with legal, adding his opinions on compensation, and concurrently he has been in every meeting with IT giving his thoughts on how to add the website under the HPG umbrella.

 _But the harder I work, the closer I get to New York and Rory._

He leaves the office around 7:00 and heads home. He puts a call into Rory. He leaves a quick voicemail telling her that he loves her and to call him back when she is home from class.

Their conversation has been slightly strained the last few weeks, as he is not being totally truthful with her about his work. He has not given her any indications that he may be able to see her soon. He can't dash her hopes again.

Rory returns his call right as he is getting ready for bed.

"Hey, Ace. I missed you today."

"Aww, I missed you too. I've been in the library for hours. Midterms. I had so much reading to do before I could even get to the papers."

"I gotta tell you, I do not miss midterms," he teases her.

"You are the worst!" she cries. "You are supposed to be sympathizing with me, and promising to read the books with me, and proof-reading my papers!"

"No way! I put in my time. Plus an extra year. And working is no picnic. Do you want to help me with expense reports and data analysis?"

"I don't even know the words you're using," Rory laughs.

"Are you done for the day?" Logan asks.

"I am. I still have to outline some things, but I got enough done that I can push that to tomorrow," she says.

 _Great. Her mind is clear._

Logan propositions her. "Interested in having sex with me in the shower?"

"Always. Are you thinking about that time in the pool house?"

"Oh, yeah."

Twenty minutes later, he is sweaty and sated. They lie there, just breathing together for a while.

"Can I ask you something? Something personal?" she asks him.

"We just had seriously intense phone sex. I think we are beyond personal boundaries at this point, Ace."

"Do you… always think about _me_ when you do that? I mean, even times when we're not on the phone together?" Her voice is timid.

" _Rory_. Yes. Only you. I guess occasionally Alyssa Milano still sneaks in, but old habits are hard to break," he laughs.

"No, I don't mean like celebrity crushes. I just… do you ever think about other girls, real girls, that you've been with before?" she asks, even quieter.

"No," he says emphatically. "I swear Rory. Only you. Where is this coming from? Why would you think that?"

Rory doesn't respond, and Logan's mind shifts into high gear.

 _Who has been telling her stuff? What could they have been telling her anyway? I do only jerk off to her. I was joking about Alyssa Milano._

 _Maybe she… Has she talked to?… Oh my God._

Logan finally breaks the silence. "Are you asking because you think about him?"

"Who? Are you talking about Dean?"

"No. You know who I'm talking about, Rory." _The guy who wants you back. The guy you almost cheated on me with. They guy who makes me insanely jealous._

"No, Logan. I don't think about him. Ever. In any way. Okay? Just you."

"And Jude Law?" he asks, trying to break the tension he has created.

"And Jude Law," she sighs. "I'm sorry I asked. I just feel a little insecure sometimes with you being so far away."

 _I'm such an asshole._

"Oh... I'm sorry, Ace. I don't know why I let him make me so paranoid. And I don't need anyone but you. You have nothing to be insecure about."

"Well neither do you, okay?"

They stay on the phone for a while longer, and by the time they hang up, things are back to normal. But Logan thinks about that conversation when he is falling asleep. He thinks about it over the next couple days, too, and it is always accompanied by a gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach.

 _I've got to get home to her._

* * *

Logan is hustling through another day when he gets a call on his desk phone. He picks up, and Steven asks to transfer his father in.

 _Shit. What did I do now?_

"Logan!" Mitchum barks out. "I think we've got him. Pete. He's about to agree to terms. He just has a couple of sticking points. I need you in New York. You can take the company jet. I've set up a meeting for Friday morning, nine AM. Take your best three team members with you. Make this happen."

Logan's mind only has one track.

"Can I leave first thing in the morning?"

Mitchum groans. "Yes. Fine. Go see Rory, but eye on the prize here, Son. Make him agree to terms. I need to fly this weekend, so you are going to have to come home Friday night. This morning meeting is your only shot."

After a pause, Mitchum continues. "I'm sorry I can't give you the whole weekend with her."

"No, Dad. It's fine. And I'll close the deal. I've been working my ass off, and I know the numbers backwards and forwards. I got this."

He hangs up the phone and literally jumps out of his seat. He is too excited for words.

Logan tries to call Rory, but he gets her voicemail. This is too big to leave in a message, so he hangs up with intentions to call her later.

He begins strategically looking at members of his team. Will is his favorite, but probably not professional enough to pull this off. Phillip knows the numbers best, and Nick has the best attention to detail. David will probably be the next best to go, as he understands the IT parts of assimilating one website into another. He calls them all into his office.

He explains their task, and gives them each their assignments. David looks down at the floor and sighs.

"What's wrong?" Logan asks him.

"Tomorrow is my wife's birthday," he answers sheepishly. "It's not a big deal, though. It'll be fine."

Logan understands this all too well. "No. I don't want you to miss that. I can take someone else. Who knows the IT as well as you?"

Nick chimes in. "We should take Bobbi. I've sat in on presentations with her, and she always charms the pants off of everyone. David, can you prep her this afternoon?"

David looks to Logan. "Are you sure it's okay?"

"Absolutely," Logan says. "Your wife is more important than whatever we're doing here. Go get Bobbi. We've got a long afternoon."

After they break for the day, Bobbi hangs back to chat with Logan.

"Thanks for including me in this. I can do it.".

"I know you can. We're going to crush it. You picked it all up really quickly today, " Logan says.

"And you... Are you so excited to see Rory?" she asks.

"You don't even know," Logan says.

"Have you gotten to tell her yet?"

"No, I'm going to try and get a hold of her tonight."

"You should surprise her. Harry did that for me once when I was still in university, and he had already graduated. It was brilliant," Bobbi says.

"That's… that's a really good idea. Thanks."

* * *

When their flight lands in New York the next day, Logan feels good about where his team is. They have spent the majority of the flight prepping, and they feel prepared for anything that may be thrown at them.

Once in New Haven, Logan stops by Ibiza and picks up all of Rory's favorite dishes. He stops in at the front desk and asks Carl for the Christmas lights.

He gets into his apartment and takes a moment to enjoy it. Henry. The pool table. His bed. He has missed it all. He hangs up his suit for tomorrow and throws some condoms in the bedside drawer.

He texts Rory.

 **Hey. You busy?**

She gets back to him in a few minutes.

 **I'm studying in the library, but I should be home in about 45 minutes or so.**

He responds quickly.

 **Okay. There's something tonight that I want to share with you.**

Logan runs up to the roof and begins setting things up. Food, table, lights. It is getting dark, and everything is perfect.

He calls Rory right at the forty-five minute mark.

"Hey!" she says.

"Hey, you watchin' it?" he asks.

"What?"

"The meteor shower."

"What meteor shower?" she asks.

"It was on the news. The BBC said there's going to be some huge meteor shower tonight," he fibs. "I thought we could watch it together."

"Uh… Logan I have been in the library for the past nine hours. I don't know anything about any meteor showers. I could use a regular shower though," she says.

"Go up on the roof and check it out." He can barely keep the excitement out of his voice.

"Now?"

"Yes, now! It's supposed to start in like two minutes." _I am so close._

She scoffs.

"Ace! This is a once in a lifetime celestial event. Get going!" _I am only a flight of stairs away._

"Okay, okay. I'm getting. I'm going," she quips.

"Are you running?" _Half a flight._

"I'm running, I'm running! Who knew you were such an astronomy buff?"

"Hurry!" _Two steps._

"What has gotten into you?"

The door to the roof opens, and he finally lays eyes on her. _Wow._

"It's a nice night."

"Oh my God! You're here! What are you doing here?" she squeals.

Logan laughs. "Happy to see me?"

"Beyond happy. I'm ecstatic!"

She runs into his arms, and he hugs her so tight she lifts off the ground.

"I can't believe you're here," she says. "And look at me- I'm covered in highlighter ink and I'm- I smell like fritos and ginger ale."

"It's an aphrodisiac." _I would kiss you if you'd been rolling around in a dumpster._

"You're here, and you did all this?"

"You like?" he grins at her.

"I love! But you didn't have to do all this. I mean, you're here. It's enough. It's more than enough!" she rambles.

"Could you shut up now so I can kiss you?"

He puts his mouth on hers for the first time in almost five months, and it is like he never left.

"So there is no meteor shower?" Rory asks.

"No meteor shower."

"You used the entire cosmos to trick me?"

"I like to think big," he confesses.

"So what is going on? Why are you here?"

"I'm kissing my girlfriend on the roof," he says, dipping his head to hers again. "Mmm," he sighs against her lips.

"But why?" she asks, putting her hands on his chest.

"The fritos and ginger ale thing. I told you- huge turn-on." He kisses her again until she stops him.

Rory pushes him away and sighs. "Explain yourself!"

"I'm just here for a quick business trip," he tells her.

"How quick?"

"Too quick." _Really fucking short._

He reaches his hands around her hips trying desperately to get closer.

"How quick is too quick?"

He kisses her forehead. "I have a ten o'clock flight back to London tomorrow night."

"Oh… That is too quick," she pouts.

"That website my team has been trying to buy… The owners finally agreed to sit down and talk to us tomorrow over breakfast," he explains.

"Logan! That's great, right? I mean, three weeks ago they weren't even taking your calls."

"It is great. However, not as exciting as kissing my girlfriend on the roof."

She gives in again and lets him kiss her.

"So what's that amazing smell?" she asks, pulling out of the kiss.

"Food from Ibiza."

"The island?"

"The tapas place downtown," he says.

"Ooh. Did you get the duck?" she asks.

"I did."

"And the short ribs?"

"Yes. And…" He pulls out a bottle of wine.

"Ooh," Rory gasps. "A 2003 red something. Oh, I bet it's very oaky and corky, and full of fruity legs."

"Know a lot about wine do you?" he laughs. _I love when she plays cute like this._

"Not really, but the label's pretty."

"There's also gazpacho, that cheese pie thing you love. Plus flan."

"Ooh, flan. You got me flan?" she asks, elated.

"Doesn't take much to make you happy, does it?"

"Not when you're on this continent."

He pulls her back in for another kiss, grabbing her and pulling her as close as he can. _We have to eat now, or I won't ever stop._

"Okay, why don't you open this wine? I wanna taste those fruity legs, and I'll make you a plate, extra flan."

He heads toward the table, just as Rory squeals and runs back to him.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're here," she squeals jumping into his arms.

 _I have missed this so much._

Logan squeezes her tight, laughing, and then says, "Come on, let's eat. You need your energy for the things I have planned for you later."

"You have a filthy mind, Huntzberger."

"And you love it."

"I do," she grins. "Let's eat quick."

They begin eating, trying to act normal, but they can't stop grinning and touching each other. He feels like he is kissing her after every bite, _but it's not enough._

The wine is starting to stain her teeth, which she hates, but he secretly loves. _Wine loosens her up._

The weather is perfect, and eventually they push their plates aside and he pulls her into his lap. He nuzzles into her neck, and she sighs contentedly.

"So there is no meteor shower, but will you lay and look at the stars with me?" she asks. "It's such a romantic night."

"I will do anything you ask, Ace. As long as you are close enough to touch, I will do anything you want."

He pulls some pillows off of the outdoor couch and lays them down, making a pallet for the two of them to lay on. He pulls her close to him.

"It's a little too early to see everything," he tells her.

"We can stay as long as we want," she offers.

He looks at her lustily. "I plan on us being naked shortly, which I'm okay with, but I don't know if you're ready to give our neighbors the full monty."

"Lo-gan." She laughs and snuggles up to him. "I'm so happy."

"Me, too," he sighs. He pulls her close to smell her shampoo. "You know, you can't do this in London? The city lights are so bright, you almost never see the stars."

"Yeah, but its London," she responds.

"Yeah," he scoffs. _None of it means anything when you're not there with me._

"Wait, are you tired of London?" she asks incredulously.

He answers truthfully. "I'm tired of not being around you."

"Yeah, but you can't be tired of London. Samuel Johnson said when you're tired of London, you're tired of life."

"Obviously, the man was never in a long distance relationship," Logan laughs.

"That's true," Rory agrees. "Boswell did keep quite close."

He leans over to place a kiss on her temple and feels her squirming away from him. She grabs his wrist, and he understands her actions.

"What are you doing?" he asks, knowing the answer.

"Nothing!"

"Are you trying to sneak a peek at my watch?" Logan asks, turning up to face her.

"Well, I just can't believe it," she says. "I can't believe that you're here, and I can't believe that you're leaving in only… twenty-six hours and forty-five minutes."

 _That's more time than we've had in five months._

"Come on, think positive. That's an entire lifetime to a fruit fly," he admonishes her.

"Actually, you're thinking of a mayfly. Fruit flies can live for up to a month." She catches Logan's eye roll and continues. "So what do you think? Can you stay for a month? I mean, what if your meeting tomorrow goes really, really well?"

"I hope it does," he sighs. _It will mean I'm in New York a lot more._

"It will. It's a great idea."

"It's basically MySpace." This is his biggest fear. That the market is already closing out.

"But by invitation only," she reminds him. "And it'll be like an online version of the Algonquin Group. Like throwing a party in your head where everyone you've ever wanted to talk to is there. Ira Glass, Sofia Coppola, Flaubert, Danger Mouse."

 _She is the best cheerleader._

"The deal's not done yet," he smiles. "Far from it. These guys aren't going to just hand over their website because we buy them breakfast."

"They might! Tell them they can order pancakes _and_ eggs. Don't make them choose. Sausage, bacon, fruit, potatoes. Let 'em get the whole combo cause then, they will have to sell it to you. It'd be rude not to," she rambles.

"You are a business genius, Ace." Logan laughs. _All she ever needs is food._

"Well, I'm taking ECON with my grandpa," she says smugly.

"Well whatever happens, we'll be ready. We've been working our asses off on this one. Nick, Bobbi, Phillip."

"Oh yes, Phillip, Nick, Bobby. The team. The starting line-up."

"It is a classic win-win. They give us a foothold in new media. We give them a huge influx in capital. Which they need, believe me. When it comes to debt versus equity, they're screwed. They have no liquidity, huge expenses, zero revenue. I mean, the targeting advertising potential alone…"

He trails off as he sees Rory eyes widen.

"What? What are you staring at?" he asks her.

"You, Mr. Debt-versus-equity."

Logan laughs. "Are you mocking me?"

"Yeah, but I like it," she responds. "Tell me more about this, um… targeted advertising potential."

He drops his voice lower. "Well, what do you want to know? There's pay-per-click, pay-per-lead, banner ads, pixel tagging," he flirts.

"Oh stop! I'm getting weak in the knees," she says.

Logan laughs and pulls her close for a kiss. It is playful at first, but soon he is grasping at her shirt, trying to get his hands under it. He finally does, and he splays his hands along her ribcage, rolling his thumbs up to the undersides of her breasts.

"Now you really are making me weak in the knees," she whispers.

"Too weak to make it downstairs?" he asks between kisses.

"Race you there," Rory says, jumping away from him. He laughs and runs behind her.

It is all better than he remembered. Not having her for five months means it goes quicker than he would have liked. _But_ _I've got 24 more hours to get all of her I can._

* * *

Rory is in the shower ("You are sweet, but I know that I actually don't smell that good"), and Logan pulls on pajama pants and a sweat shirt to head back up to the roof. He has somehow become responsible over the last few months.

He unplugs and winds up all the lights, and he throws all of the trash away. He is packing up the food when the door from below opens.

"What are you doing?" Rory asks him.

"Cleaning up," he says.

"Ooh. Make sure you keep…" she trails off as she sees all the leftovers he is packing away.

Logan laughs out loud. "Trust me- I know how much you like leftovers right out of the container."

He turns to look at her. Her hair is messily knotted up on her head. She has pulled on bottoms and a thin tank top. _She is so beautiful. I can't get enough of just looking at her. In person._

The cold night air is causing her nipples to pucker, which is, in turn, causing his pants to tighten.

"Hey, Mister. Eyes up here," Rory says.

"I'm sorry, but, Ace… look at them," he responds.

"Shut up. It's cold," she protests wrapping her arms around herself.

"Come here," he whispers huskily. He kisses her lightly before running his hands along over the top of her tank top. Her nipples tighten harder, and he groans into her mouth.

She pushes away from him. "I'll help you take these inside. It'll be quicker."

They load up, get down the stairs, and run into the apartment as quickly as they can.

As soon as the she closes the refrigerator door, he whips her around and kisses her hard. He puts his knee between her legs and braces her against him. He grabs her butt, picks her up, and spins her around to set her on the island. She pulls her tank top off.

Rory puts her hands down behind her and arches her back, thrusting her breasts right toward him. He attacks the nipples that have been taunting him for the last few minutes. Rory is moaning and rolling her hips against him. _Thank God this is round two, or I would already be done._

She pushes her pajama pants down and off. Leaning back further onto her elbows, she brings her feet up to the island, spreading herself completely open to him.

 _Holy fucking…_

He leans down to kiss the inside of her thigh, then laughs. He looks up and smirks. "I'm gonna taste _these_ fruity legs too." He returns to his task, dragging his tongue down her inner thigh.

Rory giggles. "Sexual puns. A man after my own heart."

The giggles subside though when his tongue reaches her apex.

They spend the rest of the night making love. They are continuously connected through hands, mouths, and whispers of devotion. Logan wants to memorize every curve of her body, every smell of her skin, every soft noise she makes.

As he drifts off to sleep finally, he thinks that he has never felt closer to her.

* * *

The alarm comes far earlier than he would like. He is exhausted, and this meeting means so much. He has to get back into the city, strategize, and get his game face on.

He looks over at Rory, quietly sleeping. _It was all worth it._

After a quick shower, he is getting dressed when Rory begins to stir. "Logan?' she calls.

"Shh. Go back to sleep. It's only six," he whispers.

"In the morning?" she asks, sitting up.

"Yes, in the morning. Go back to sleep. I'm sorry I woke you," he says. But he can't resist walking over to steal a kiss.

"Hey! Where are you going? Come back here!" she says, tugging at his arm.

"I can't," he sighs. "I promised Nick, Bobbi, and Phillip I'd meet up with them for breakfast before the pitch."

Rory pouts. "I thought the pitch was at breakfast."

"It is, but we can't just walk in there unprepared. We gotta go over our notes, talk strategy. It's a pre-breakfast breakfast." _I have to make sure Bobbi has her shit down_.

She rolls her eyes. "Work dork."

 _What?_

"Did you just call me a work dork?" he asks, disbelieving. _No one has ever accused me of such a thing._

"Admit it. Just admit that you're a work dork."

"I'll admit that I'm a work dork, if you admit that you love that I'm a work dork," he compromises _. I seem to remember it getting you hot and bothered last night._

"Done," she agrees, pulling him close for another kiss.

"Now I really have to go."

"Hey I have ways of making you stay, you know?"

 _God, I know. Doesn't she know if I could be her man for a job, that's what I would choose to do? But I have to be a publishing magnate._

"I know, I know. But take pity on me please? After work, I promise I am all yours. Dinner?" he asks. _Please don't be busy._

"Is it a pre-dinner dinner, or a real dinner?"

"As many dinners as you want." _And dessert._ He steals one last kiss.

He turns to leave, but Rory tugs his arm back harder.

"Ah, man. I can't believe we wasted four and a half hours on sleep. What are we down to now, like 15 hours?"

 _Fuck. Don't remind me._

"Rory, I'm actually going to need both arms for this pitch," he says.

"Okay, I'll let go. Just one more kiss," she says.

 _She agreed to that too easily…_

"I don't believe you."

"Try me."

He leans in, grabs her cheeks, and pulls out before she even knows it's happening.

"Hey! No fair!" she squeals.

"I'll call you later," he promises.

"Work dork!"

"Work dork lover!"

 _I promise Rory. One day I am not going to have to leave you._

* * *

The pitch could not have gone better. Everyone was tight and on point. They sit back and wait for Pete's response.

"You have to understand that this is my intellectual property, and it doesn't feel like something I can put a price tag on. I have just spent so long with this concept, and its finally coming to fruition. My intellectual property is now an actual functioning website. I don't want to be a sell-out."

"Listen," Logan begins, in his most understanding voice. "I understand what you are saying. This is your baby, and you don't want to give up any control of it. We're not asking you to. Our goal here is simple. We want to use your website to advertise and to invest. Because we think your intellectual property is amazing. We have no interest in taking what's yours. In fact, we want to help you reach as many people as possible. Our money will allow you to do that and, in turn, will allow us to make money. You are still going to have complete autonomy over site content. We just want autonomy of the logistics of running it. She's still going to be _your_ baby. We just want to be the doting uncle."

Pete sighs and looks away. He begins muttering to himself.

 _That was my best speech. If this doesn't work, I've got nothing left._

Suddenly Bobbi stands, grabs her things, and says "Meeting's over, boys."

 _What the fuck is she doing? We've almost got him!_

Pete looks up, discombobulated. "What? I'm… Don't leave, okay? We can work this out."

Logan looks at Bobbi with new found respect and closes the deal.

He has never felt so high without drugs.

 _I did it. I bought the website for exactly the amount of money I was authorized to use. Rory is going to be so proud._

When he calls her, he can't even remember what he says. All he knows is that she cleared her schedule, and he has to get her car service. _Maybe we should just hole up in a hotel room instead of dinner. We can eat when we're apart._

He joins back up with the team who are also deliriously excited.

"Let's have a blow-out dinner before we get back on the plane. We deserve it," Nick says.

"I would love to, but I'm having Rory down for dinner."

"Ooh, bring her. I would love to meet her," Bobbi says.

"I don't know," Logan says. _I kind of just want to be alone with her. But... she was disappointed when she didn't get to meet them in August._

"Logan, I'm dying to meet this girl. You talk about her all the time. It'll be fun. Let's do early dinner, and then you can take a stroll through the city before you leave," Bobbi offers.

"Okay," he finally agrees. "But for now, can I get into one of your rooms and take a nap?"

* * *

The champagne is flowing heavy. He is telling the team about the conversation he just had with his father. Mitchum is pleased with today's progress, to say the least. This is the biggest professional score any of them have ever had, and they cannot stop reliving it.

He keeps checking his watch, as the victory will not feel complete until he can share it with Rory. Finally, he spots her coming in, and he rushes up to meet her.

"Ahoy, my captain of industry!" she jokes as she rushes toward him.

"Ace," he smiles.

"Hey, where is your uniform?" she chastises him. "I was expecting the whole works- a spiffy hat, shiny shoes, epaulets with scrambled eggs on them."

"Scrambled eggs on my clothes? What you must think of me. You look gorgeous." He leans into to kiss her. "Though I was hoping you'd wear a nice little sailor's middy. You'd look so cute in a middy."

His mind immediately flashes to making love to her on that stolen yacht.

"Oh, I'd love to wear a middy. And a little sailor hat, like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man."

 _I wonder if she's thinking about sex at sea too?_

"Because who doesn't want to date a giant humanoid marshmallow," he laughs.

She pulls his face towards hers again. "I'm so proud of you," she says, kissing him sweetly.

"Hmm. Come on. Our table's over here." He wraps his arm around her waist and leads her towards his friends.

"Everybody," he announces to the table, "I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Rory."

He makes introductions around the table as everyone stands to shake her hand.

Bobbi asks about another bottle of champagne, and Logan can't agree quickly enough. _Ace loves it. And if I can get a little buzzed, maybe I can get her into a bathroom stall._

He pulls out her chair to get her settled at the table and lets his friends take over the conversation. Nick and Phillip start whining about food and budgets, while he puts his thigh right next to Rory's and wishes he had just gotten her to a hotel room.

"So, Rory. I've heard so much about you," Bobbi gushes as she turns to Rory.

"Oh, yeah?" Rory says.

"Logan has talked my ear off about you!" Bobbi exclaims.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, me, too. He's talked my ear off about you and all of you. I mean, I'm practically Van Gogh from my earlessness," Rory replies.

 _She's rambling. Is she nervous?_

Bobbi turns to him. "Did we order champagne yet? Your girlfriend must be parched."

"Excuse me, Miss," Logan says, flagging down their server. "Um, we'd like another bottle over here please."

"Oh, and bring another bread plate," Phillip chimes in.

As they all laugh at Phillip's appetite, Logan sneaks a glance at Rory. Her face is completely blank.

 _Maybe the champagne will settle her down._

The champagne comes and Logan quickly gives her a healthy pour. She downs it quickly.

 _Shit. Something is not right._

They are short on time, so they order tapas for the table, forgoing a full meal.

Logan keeps trying to get Rory's attention- touching her thigh, putting food on her plate, but she seems oblivious to his actions.

Finally, Rory says, "Tell me about your meeting today."

They all launch into the story, still high off their victory. Logan can feel himself getting more animated as he speaks.

 _We are probably louder than necessary, but damn, it's still so awesome._

The waitress hands him a dessert menu, which he immediately shows to Phillip. He points to the panna cotta because he knows Rory loves it. He turns back to her to find her in conversation with Bobbi.

"I swear, when I was at Oxford, I did nothing but read literature. It was such a luxury," Bobbi is saying.

"That's one way to look at it," Rory replies.

"Oh, I long for those days. Just reading books, thinking," Bobbi continues.

"I do like thinking."

 _Uh-oh._

"Well enjoy it while it lasts. Before you know it, you'll be out in the real world with the rest of us poor sods," Bobbi says

Rory responds "Seems like you manage to have some fun."

"Well, Logan is a big part of that. He is such a laugh," Bobbi says, smiling at him.

 _What is she doing? She sounds like she's flirting. Rory is not gonna like this…_

"He's actually a lot more serious than you might think," she responds, taking his hand.

 _Whoa_ _, she does not like her. She's marking her territory..._

He brings her hand to his mouth so everyone is clear on where his affections lie. Rory continues. "It probably takes a long time to get to know that side of him, the serious side."

"Oh, you two are so adorable," Bobbi coos.

He interlocks his fingers with Rory's as Bobbi stands up and flippantly re-enacts the scene on her way to the bathroom. "Isn't she a riot?" he asks Rory, trying his best to smooth it over.

"Hilarious," she says sarcastically.

 _On that note, it's probably time for us to go._

He whispers in her ear. "Wanna skip dessert, so we can be alone for a little bit?"

Rory rolls her eyes. " _Yes._ "

He stands up to let Nick and Phillip know he is leaving. "We're going to go ahead and take off. Here's the corporate card. Don't forget it. I'll see you guys on the plane in an hour or so, okay?"

They start to protest, but they can quickly tell by the look on his face that he will not be relenting. They both stand to say goodbye to Rory who says, "Tell Bobbi it was nice to meet her."

Logan steers her away from the table towards the hostess stand where she picks up her jacket.

"Do you want to go walk in the park for a bit, or is it too cold?" he asks her on their way out the door.

"How much time do we have?" she asks in a small voice.

"I know," Logan says. "Let's just walk together for a while."

They fall in step quietly, and Logan knows something is up. _I just want to leave on a happy note._ But finally, he can't stand it anymore and he asks, "You tired?"

"I'm good," she says with a tight smile.

 _She's not._

"Cause I can always have the car come and pick us up on the corner."

"I'm fine," she sighs.

"Well, hey. I know, I could carry you," he offers.

"Carry me?" Rory asks, incredulous.

"Yeah- Piggyback, fireman's carry, in both arms, your choice." _I would carry you anywhere you wanted to go._

"No… I'm really fine," she assures him.

 _But she's not._

"Wow. Okay, so I guess something's really wrong," Logan says.

"Just because I don't want to be fireman carried doesn't mean something is wrong," she says.

"But something is wrong."

"No, it's just…" she trails off.

"Just?" he prods her.

"This isn't exactly what I expected tonight. I was just a little confused, I guess. You called, you were so excited. You said 'celebrate.' I thought it was gonna be just us," she says.

"Last night was just us," he says, leading her down the sidewalk.

Rory sighs. "I know, and it was also… perfect and romantic. And the more I talk about it, the more I feel stupid for even bringing this up."

"Look, I'm sorry I wasn't clear on the phone. I'm sorry that you didn't have a good time tonight." _I knew I should have just kept her to myself._

"Well, no. It's not that. I mean, I get it. The guys are great. Okay. But technically, Bobby. Well she's not exactly a guy," Rory says.

 _So that's what this is really about._

Logan laughs. "Yeah, you got me there."

"And until about three hours ago, I thought that she was a guy. You know why? Because you never use personal pronouns- she, her. I mean would that have been so unbelievably difficult to fit into a conversation? I don't know about you, but most of the 'Bobbys' I know are guys. Bobby Kennedy, Bobby Brady, Bobby Knight, Bobby Brown…" she rambles. "You're smiling at me. Why are you smiling at me?"

"Because you are very cute when you're jealous," Logan answers. _I love it._

"I'm not jealous," she protests.

" _Rory_ ," he scoffs, as he spies the limo three cars away.

"Oh, and it's not just that. I mean, it was everything," she pouts. "It was not feeling like I was included. I mean no one all night asked me anything about me."

"Bobbi asked about you," he reminds her.

"Yeah, and how condescending was she? 'Oh it's such a luxury to read literature,'" she says in a faux British accent. She lets out an exasperated sigh. "And did you hear what she called us?... Adorable. She called us an adorable couple."

"Wait, she said that out loud?" Logan deadpans.

"Yes. _Adorable_."

"Wow, you want me to go back there and kick her ass?" Logan asks.

" _Adorable_ is what you say about a Full House rerun. It's not what you say about something that lasts. The Great Wall of China, the pyramids. No one ever called them _adorable_."

Logan reaches for her, but she backs away and continues her tirade, raising her volume. "And excuse me, but how many times does a girl need to stand up at dinner? Yes, you have legs. We get it. You know 'Oh, no. I'm not leaving. I'm just going to the loo.' Here's a tip. You're in America now. Speak English," she rambles.

"Okay. So just to clarify in the future, you would prefer I work only with girls who have no legs?" Logan can't help but tease her.

"You're not taking me seriously!"

"Because you're not being serious. Bobby is my colleague. She's great at what she does. She's smart. She's talented." _She's annoying, and you have nothing to worry about._ "You know, Nick has great legs too. Maybe before you rush to judgement you should check his out.

Rory rolls her eyes. "Great, so now I'm not just an idiot. I'm an anti-feminist idiot. An anti-feminist idiot who's standing here in the street arguing about things I don't really want to be arguing about."

"You don't?" he asks her.

"No. Do you think I like feeling this way? I mean, I haven't seen you for months and months, and now you're in town for what- twenty-six hours? And in that time, I can't just get happy and act like a fruit fly?" She is getting worked up again.

"Mayfly," he interrupts.

"I can't just live in the moment and enjoy the twenty-six great hours ahead of me? I have to be sulky and miserable while all the other fruit flies share private jokes with my boyfriend? You think I like this about myself? Wrong. I hate myself for being this way. I hate Bobbi for her professionally tweezed eyebrows and her oh-so-incredible ability to stand up at a moment's notice. And most of all, I hate the fact that in a few seconds you'll be in that car leaving me again."

 _Oh, Rory._

"That is a hell of a long way to go just to say 'I miss you,'" he says.

"Any thoughts in response?" she asks.

"I miss you too, Ace," he sighs.

Her eyes well up with tears. "Five words. You only used five words."

Logan grins. "Yeah, well, I'm not done yet."

He pulls her close and kisses her with everything he's got. Her body molds into his as she sighs against his mouth.

He whispers into her. "You are the only woman I want. Bobbi can't hold a candle to you. And you know if I had my way, I would stay here with you, right?"

She pulls away to look in his eyes. "I'm sorry I get so jealous. You just don't talk about her much, and I sat through the entire dinner wondering why."

"I don't talk about her, because I don't think about her," he promises to her. He leans in to kiss her again. "Get in the car," he commands her.

"Logan. I have to go to my grandparents' house."

"Just get in the car. We are flying out of White Plains so you can drop me off, and I'll have the driver keep going to Hartford," he pleads. "Please. I'm not ready to let go of you yet."

"Okay," she relents.

He opens up the door for her and goes up front to talk to the driver. "We need to go to the airfield at White Plains. But, um, when we get there, don't open the door. We'll come out when we're ready." Logan hands him a one hundred dollar bill and receives a nod of agreement.

He follows Rory into the back of the limo.

"Logan. I'm sorry-" she starts, but he cuts her off with a kiss. She seems to understand what he is saying because she slides her tongue into his mouth.

He shrugs off his jacket, and she begins unbuttoning his shirt. His hands are knotted up around her ponytail and her hands are everywhere. She reaches for his belt buckle.

 _Holy shit. We are going to fuck in the back of this car._

He reaches up under her dress and tugs at her panties. She leans back and allows him to take them off. He pulls his own pants low enough to allow his erection free, and Rory moves over him, straddling his lap. She is hovering in just the right place when a terrible thought occurs to him.

"Dammit. The condoms are in my suitcase in the trunk."

"Noooo. Is there any way to get them?" she asks. She is rubbing and moving and _too_ _close_.

He desperately searches behind him for a magical trapdoor, but to no avail.

"I don't… I don't think so," he says, trying his best not to push up into her.

She looks him in the eye, and says "It's fine. I have been really good with my pill this month, and you can just… pull out."

"Rory, I don't know-" but he is cut off as she lowers herself onto him. "Oh God..."

They move together, and he can't believe that this is the last time he will get to do this for a while. He desperately tries to put his mind somewhere else. _I have to make this last longer._

 _But Rory is moving and moaning and being naughtier than she's ever been. Who knew she had this in her?_

She comes hard against him, and he knows he can't last much longer. He unzips her dress just enough to let her breasts spill out of the top.

 _Good God. No bra._

"Rory. You have to get off me now." He pulls at her hips, but she stubbornly refuses to move. She keeps driving down onto him, making him completely crazy.

" _Rory_."

"Hold on. I need… Almost… there..."

As she comes again, Logan loses his will and erupts inside her. They slowly still their movements. She kisses him sweetly.

"I'm sorry. I just couldn't stop," she says.

"I know. Me either," he agrees. "I love you so much."

"I love _you_ so much," she says.

She climbs off of him and grabs some tissues to start cleaning them up. He lays back and sighs, closing his eyes, not quite ready to move.

He slowly begins pulling his boxers and pants back up as Rory is moving along the seat, feeling the edges with her hands.

"What are you doing?" he asks her.

"Looking for my panties," Rory answers. She catches his smirk and says, "Don't laugh. I have to go to Hartford. I can't walk into Emily Gilmore's house with no panties."

Logan laughs even harder. "You've done a lot of things in Emily Gilmore's house with no panties."

"It's not funny!"

"It kind of is," he says. "Honestly, they weren't covering that much anyway. You'll be fine."

The limo stops, and they both sit up to look at each other.

"No," she whimpers. "Not yet."

He looks at his watch. He needs to get on the plane.

"Come here," he says, pulling her close. "I'll get back as soon as I can, okay?" He kisses her temple and hugs her as tight as he can. "But I have to go now."

Her face pulls into a frown, and he has to get out of there before they both start crying. He kisses her lips one more time, then opens the door and climbs out.

He straightens his clothes and pulls on his jacket. His driver has already gotten his suitcase out, and Logan hands him another hundred. "She needs to go to Hartford. She'll give you the address."

Logan walks up the staircase of the jet with a heavy heart. Everyone else is already aboard. They must sense his mood, because no one says anything.

"What time is it?" Logan asks. "I'm sorry. I think I'm late."

"Don't worry about it. Its the middle of the night London time, so we're all just going to sleep anyway," Bobbi says.

"Thanks," Logan says, taking off his jacket and emptying his pockets. His wallet, his phone, Rory's thong.

 _Shit. I must have put them in my pocket when I took them off of her._

He tries to grab it back quickly, but it is wound around his phone. The phone clatters back to the table in what feels like slow motion. He knows his face is flushing as he diligently untangles her panties from the phone. No one says anything, and Logan is grateful that no one is commenting.

Suddenly, Nick snorts and once the silence is broken, Phillip and Bobbi both join in. Eventually Logan is laughing too.

"Shut up. It had been almost five months."

* * *

A few weeks later, the landline rings in the middle of the night, pulling Logan out of a deep sleep.

"Rory? Are you okay? What's wrong?"

She is quiet for a moment, then finally answers. "Logan. I'm late."

"I know, Baby. Its like three o'clock in the morning. What's going on?" He tries desperately to wake up.

"No, Logan. I'm late. My period is late."

 _Oh shit._

* * *

A/N: This is one of my favorite Rogan episodes, and I hope I did it justice. Every time I think I am writing Logan as too romantic and too in love, Matt Czuchry gives an interview that is romantic and perfect and everything we all think Logan is!

I had already mapped out this entire story before the revival so the pregnancy line seems contrived now, but it was too late to change it completely.


	6. Chapter 6

Author Note: I own nothing. Logan's inner thoughts in italics.

* * *

Logan sits up and swings his feet over the edge of the bed.

"Okay… Okay… How late are you?" he asks.

"Well, I should have started today," Rory says.

"Today… So you're not technically late yet. Right?"

"Yes, I am," she says. "I normally wake up and start the third day of placebo."

Logan rubs his eyes. _Okay. Stay calm. Rory needs you to be calm._

"Rory, obviously you know your period better than me, but I don't think we need to worry yet."

"I'm freaking out, Logan. I can't believe I was so irresponsible. Why do you have to be so great at sex? It makes me do stupid things."

One hundred quips enter his mind, but he is not even capable of smiling at this point.

"And my boobs seem bigger. And my belly is pooching," she continues.

 _Stay calm. Reassure her._

"I'm not sure that's how it works," Logan says. "But don't freak out. Alright? What's the worst case scenario?"

"Are you even listening? That I'm pregnant!" she says, her voice rising.

"Okay, but… Baby. We are adults- I mean, technically. We're financially set, and we love each other. Babies are born in way worse circumstances every day. Your mom had you at sixteen with a lot less, and look at how great you turned out," Logan says.

Rory is silent.

He continues. "So it speeds up our timeline by a few years. Everything is going to be fine. I promise."

"But I'm about to graduate. How am I going to get a job if I'm having a baby? Christiane Amanpour didn't wear a Baby Bjorn in the Middle East!" she says.

"Well, Rory, we have options. I'll support whatever you decide," Logan tells her.

"I don't think I can have a baby. I was sure I wanted… but you just gave such a lovely speech about how we can do this."

"We _can_ do this. We just have to decide if we _want_ to. But first, we need to find out if you're actually pregnant," Logan says.

"I'm sure I am. I can tell," Rory says.

"Do you want me to fly home? You don't seem like you should be alone right now."

"Maybe. I'll take a test tomorrow, and we can decide. I would love for you to come home anyway though. I miss you so much," Rory says.

"I know," Logan sighs.

"Will you stay on the phone with me until I fall asleep?" she asks.

"Of course."

"It may take a while. I'm so anxious," Rory whispers.

After only fifteen minutes or so, Logan can tell by her rhythmic breathing that she is asleep. He, on the other hand, is wide awake. He runs through every scenario.

 _A baby is terrifying. I still feel like a kid myself. But I do want to have kids someday. With Rory. It would be hard, but we could do it._

 _An abortion is also terrifying. What if something goes wrong, and Ace gets hurt? What if she can't have kids someday when we want to? What if that decision haunts us for the rest of our lives?_

 _I'm sure it would surprise people to know I've never actually had this dilemma._

 _God. Why were we so irresponsible?_

 _Because we hadn't seen each other in months, and we were starved._

 _This is Mitchum's fault for making me live here._

 _Fucking Mitchum._

Eventually, Logan gets out of bed, takes a shower, and heads to the office.

 _Normal day. You can do this._

 _And I should call Finn. He_ _ **has**_ _dealt with this. Several times._

"Steven, coffee won't cut it today. I need espresso. Double shot," he says as he walks into his office. "And if Rory calls, get me immediately."

Logan goes through the motions, but truthfully, he spends the entire morning waiting for Rory to call.

At lunch time, his cell phone rings with an unknown number. It has a Hartford area code, so he picks it up just in case it's her.

"Hello?"

"Huntzberger!"

 _Oh crap._

"Paris."

"My friend Rory just called me with a pretty frightening tale," Paris rails. "How irresponsible are you?"

"Is she okay? She hasn't called me back this morning," Logan says.

"Of course she's not okay. She's freaking out. She thinks she's pregnant because you can't be bothered to wrap it up!" Paris shouts. "What did you say to her?"

"Come on, Paris. What do you think I said? That I loved her and would support any decision she made. That I would fly home as soon as we knew for sure."

"Oh," Paris softens. "That's probably the right thing to say."

"When it comes to Rory, you and I are on the same side," Logan says.

"I don't like being on the same side of things as you. But I'm heading there right now with a pregnancy test."

Nick and Will stop by his door. "Are you ready for this meeting?"

"Paris, I have a meeting right now, but tell Rory to call me the second she knows anything."

He silences his phone and heads to the conference room.

Nigel counts heads and begins with the agenda. Logan is trying, but his mind is not present. He is thinking of Rory and how scared she must feel.

His phone buzzes against his hip, and he pulls it out under the table. He sees that it's Rory, and stands to go out to take the call when he hears Nigel.

"Ah, Logan. Are you ready to present?"

 _Fuck._

"Uh, yes… Um, I need to… Um, okay," he stammers. He slips the phone back into his pocket and heads up front to deliver the quarterly projections of profit and loss for Mashable.

He opens the floor for questions and thankfully there are none.

"Okay. Bobbi is going to lead us through the launch party. Excuse me," Logan says as he hightails it out of there and back to his office.

He has a missed call and a missed text from Rory.

 **Call me ASAP.**

 _Jesus Christ. She's pregnant._

He dials her as quickly as he can. She picks up after one ring and says "False alarm."

"Oh, thank God," Logan sighs. "It was negative?"

"I didn't even have to take it. I went to the bathroom to pee on the stick, and I had started my period," she explains.

Logan exhales loudly.

"You're more relieved than I thought you would be. You were so positive last night," Rory says.

"Rory, I meant everything I said this morning, but… I am thrilled we are not having a baby right now."

"Uhh, me too! I'm sorry I got us both so worked up."

"I'm okay. Are _you_ okay?" he asks.

"Honestly? No. Not being pregnant should have made me feel so much better, but I don't," she says.

"Is something else going on?"

"Yeah. I haven't talked about it much, but today is my last day as editor. I'm handing it over to Bill this afternoon. I'm sadder than I thought I would be, and I think my period was just something else to fixate on," she says.

"Of course you're sad, Ace. Ever since I've known you, you've been all about the paper. But it might be nice not to be the editor anymore. You'll have way more free time, and you'll actually be able to write again. Haven't you missed that?"

"I have," she admits. "It's just… I... It's too egotistical to say."

"You like the power, don't you?" Logan laughs. "I know. It's one of the best parts of my job, too. There's nothing wrong with enjoying it."

"It just sounds so much like…"

"Paris?" Logan asks.

"Yes!"

"You know, I'm not her biggest fan, but I admire the way she speaks her mind and goes after what she wants. If you want to be successful as journalist, you're going to have to stop feeling bad about liking authority.'" Logan says. "Now you got great experience as editor. Use this last semester to write some kick-ass features so your portfolio is ready when you need it. Especially since you're not pregnant, and you can get whatever job you want."

"Oh, thank God I'm not pregnant! How do you always know exactly what to say?"

"Because I'm awesome."

* * *

Three days later, the phone wakes Logan up once again. "Hello?"

"Logan? Are you asleep? I'm sorry," Rory says.

"No, its fine," he says, wiping the sleep out of his eyes. "What's going on? Are you okay?"

"I'm just… really struggling."

"How can I help?" he asks, struggling to wake up. "Is this still about the paper?"

"It's about... everything. I just feel lost… directionless. I mean, I just dyed my hair pink," she says.

"Pink? Like Gwen Stefani pink?"

"Yes. Lucy and Olivia came to Stars Hollow with me, and we dyed our hair because… What else am I supposed to be doing? I don't know what I'm doing with my life, Logan. No employer is going to hire me with pink hair!"

"First, I'm sure you look gorgeous, because anything else is an impossibility. And second, you have plenty of time before you meet with prospective employers," Logan says.

"Do you think anyone will hire me?" she asks, quietly.

"Ace… You were the editor of the Yale Daily News. You just have to decide who you are going to _let_ hire you. I'm hoping to be home in a couple of weeks, and we'll look at papers and grad school programs. We'll figure out what you want to do, okay?"

"Thanks, Logan. I'm sorry I woke you. I'll call you tomorrow," she says.

"And hey- I love you. That part of your life is certain," he tells her.

* * *

Bobbi pops into his office the next Tuesday.

"We can get the Orchid Room this Saturday night!"

"This Saturday? How? Can you pull it together this fast?" Logan asks her.

"Some couple broke up and their engagement party was cancelled. I don't know if we can do it, but like Tim Gunn says, we are just going to have to make it work. We all have to start making calls. Today," Bobbi says.

"Okay. I'll have Steven call everyone in."

They meet in the conference room to divide up tasks. Logan knows the most people in New York personally, so he is tasked with calling the majority of the guest list.

He feels like the phone is glued to his head for the next two days. But the best call comes when his father phones him Thursday with huge news.

"Pete has decided that he likes you. He wants you running point on the whole conversion."

"That's great. Right?" Logan asks.

"I imagine you'll think so when I tell you that you'll be in New York most of the time," Mitchum says.

"What? I'm moving to New York?"

"I still need you to finish out all of your projects in London, but then I want you full time on Mashable. So while you're in New York this week, find a place to live. We'll base you out of the New York offices work-wise until you're big enough to warrant your own space."

"Wow… Wow…" Logan's mind can barely process what his father is telling him.

"Who else from your team might be interested in trans-Atlantic living? Black guy? Gay guy? Legs?"

"Geez, dad. How many politically incorrect things can you ask in one question?"

"Well, you'll use their names. Feel them out so we can know how much housing we need in Manhattan," Mitchum instructs.

Logan checks in with his team that afternoon.

Bobbi fills them in on the PR, and Phillip runs through the bar, catering, and staffing for the actual party.

Nick begins explaining their travel and accommodations.

"I had to get red-eyes Friday night. Anything sooner was out of our budget, and the jet is not available. Logan- I assumed you need car service to Connecticut, and the rest of us will head into the city. We're staying at the St. Regis in Midtown which is only a couple of blocks from 21. Its walkable. Bobbi, we'll carry you if your shoes are too high. Good?"

He looks to Logan, who nods his assent and begins his own report. "As for me, The Orchid Room only holds sixty, and on this short of notice, every other room at 21 is booked. The four of us plus Pete's team is twenty-two. So I've tried to fill the room accordingly. Bobbi got more press than I anticipated- good job on that, by the way- so the room is going to be crowded. It should be great.

Let's all take tomorrow to pack and rest. Don't forget about the time difference. Saturday is huge for us, and we all need to bring our A-game.

Now, before we break, there is one other matter to discuss. Pete wants us close while the merger is underway, which means a lot of time in New York. As in getting apartments there and splitting time. Obviously, I'm gonna do it, but I wanted to see if any of you wanted to come with me."

They stare at him in stunned silence.

Phillip finally says "Count me in. This accent will do well with the ladies there."

They all laugh, with Nick and Bobbi promising to think about it.

Bobbi hangs back as the other men leave.

"This sounds amazing, but I don't know how this will affect my relationship with Harry," she says.

Logan tells her honestly, "Unless he wants to and is able to travel with you, it's really, really hard. And lonely."

"I'll talk to him. See you tomorrow at the airport."

Logan heads home and calls Rory as soon as he is in his flat. He's been trying to check in on her as much as possible, given her recent fragile mental state. He has decided to surprise her again this weekend, so he limits what he tells her about his work.

She mentions some plans she has on Friday night with her new friends, and he wonders if he is making a mistake.

 _What if she has other plans Saturday and can't come to my party?_

 _I'm too far into this now. I'll have to risk it._

He sleeps almost his entire flight and is feeling great when he steps into his apartment in New Haven. He expects to find Rory sleeping late, but is surprised to find the place empty. He opens the fridge, laughs at the number of take-out containers, and helps himself to the lone apple.

He is dying to see her though, and he just can't wait.

She answers his phone call after few rings.

"Hey! Are you up? I called you at the apartment and you didn't answer. I figured after your wild night, you would have slept in."

"It's a long story, but I'm up, so I ran out for a second," Rory says.

"Well, how was last night?" he asks. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah, I did. We went to this organ concerto, which was boring, but Lucy and Olivia make everything fun."

"You really liked the chamber music?" Logan asks incredulously.

"The part I was awake for anyway," she quips. "And then after that, we went to see a basketball game."

"Slightly less obscure."

"Yeah, right?" she says. "A lot of people seem to be into the sports thing. And I can see why. The fast pace, the school spirit."

"You liked it?" he asks.

"Again, the part I was awake for."

He hears the key in the lock. _Oh, she's here!_ He quickly throws his apple core in the trash.

"Wow, a real basketball fan, huh?"

"Ahhh," she squeals as she lays eyes on him. "Oh my God!"

Rory races into his arms, and he squeezes her tight.

She smacks him and says "What is wrong with you?"

"You're not happy to see me?" Logan asks.

"Well, of course I am, but why do you insist on scaring me half to death every time you're in town?"

"Besides the fact that it's really fun- actually that's it. It's just really fun!" Logan leans into kiss her cheek.

"Aw, man. Just once, call me and tell me you're coming home like a normal person."

 _Where's the fun in that?_

"Normal's boring. Normal's over rated. Normal's not why you love me," he says, going for her mouth this time.

"So what's going on? Why are you here?" Rory asks.

Logan regales her with the whole story of why and how they got the Orchid Room.

"So it starts at 9:00. You can be there, right?" he asks as he begins unpacking.

 _Please say yes. I need you there with me._

"Oh, yeah. I'm having dinner with my parents, but I can stop by right after," she says.

"When did they get back from France?" he asks.

"Last night," she says. "I would just skip it, but my mom really wants to see me... and apparently make me snails."

"O-kay. Well then I guess I'll see you post-snails."

"Mm-hmm."

"It should be a pretty good time," Logan tells her. "We've got a huge guest list. Bobbi's pulled out all the stops. She's contracted like five of the hottest PR agents in the city and has them hunkered in a war room. I'd be surprised if she lets them take bathroom breaks."

"You can't stop Bobbi," Rory says sarcastically.

 _I thought we were past this. There is nothing to be jealous of._

"Ace..."

"What? No, I like Bobbi. I do. I don't like the fact that she's not a big swarthy dude, but I recognize that my issues with Bobbi have nothing to do with her. She's lovely, she's your colleague. It doesn't matter that her legs come up to my nose."

 _Her legs have nothing on yours. I know how yours feel wrapped around my body._

"'A big swarthy dude?'" he mocks.

"With a cheesy goatee," she finishes.

"Well maybe she'll agree to the goatee," Logan laughs. "And hey, you want to come with me tomorrow to check out apartments?"

He drops the big news nonchalantly as he puts his dop kit in the bathroom.

"Apartments? Like to live in?"

"I know it is cliche," he says from the bathroom, "but, yes, I intend to live in my apartment."

"In Manhattan?" she asks.

"Unless I strike you as more of a Staten Island guy," he jokes as he comes back to face her.

"You're moving to New York? Which is an hour away."

"It's actually an hour and twenty minutes," he corrects her.

"That's so much closer than London!"

 _Now she's getting it._

"You've been brushing up on your geography, huh?" he teases.

"No, I just can't believe it! I mean, it's huge! It's amazing! I..."

"Are you happy?" he asks, seriously.

"I'm so happy," she says as she throws her arms around his neck.

"Come on. Let's get something to drink." Logan steers her toward the kitchen. _We deserve to celebrate this. Six months apart, and it's almost over._

"Why do you have to get your own apartment? Why can't you just live here with me?" she asks him.

 _Already thought of that, and unfortunately the logistics suck._

"I'd love to, Ace, but I think I'd wind up seeing more of the I-95 than I would you. I mean, my hours are gonna be crazy. If I live near the office, I can crawl home at three in the morning, and then crawl back to work at seven," he explains.

"That's a lot of crawling," she pouts.

"It just doesn't make sense logistically." He hands her a beer. _It's afternoon in London..._

"So it's just gonna be me here?" she asks.

"You were gonna live here by yourself anyway," Logan says.

"I know, but if you're gonna have your whole new apartment, then you're gonna need all your stuff."

Logan laughs. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna clean you out, Ace." _Besides isn't everything kind of 'our' stuff now?_

"I'll be fine. Take your stuff," Rory says.

"No. New apartment, new stuff."

"Seriously?" she asks.

 _Yes. Whatever it takes to make you happy._

"Yeah. I want a fresh start," Logan says.

"Okay, well you should take some of your stuff. Like your favorite stuff."

 _I wonder what she thinks I want. Because the only thing in this apartment I need is her._

"Like what?" He smiles at her.

"Like... you know... you can't live without your suit of armor, can you?" she asks. "I mean, you really want to take that."

"You don't like Henry?"

"Well, it's not that I don't like Henry. It just that he creeps me out," Rory says.

"Now you just hurt Henry's feelings..."

"Well," she jokes. "He's gonna have to grow a little tougher chain mail if he wants to make it on the mean streets of New York."

"You're heartless, Gilmore," he says, going in for another kiss. "Seriously, though. We can fix this place however you want. If you want my stuff out, then we'll just get you some new stuff. But I want you to help me pick my new place and new stuff. I want you to like it, so when you graduate and you're the new ace reporter for the New York Times, you can just move back in with me."

"Aww. That sounds perfect. Like my dream life."

"It's not a dream, Rory." He kisses her again, deeper this time.

She pulls away and whispers "How long until you have to leave?"

He kisses down her neck. "A couple of hours. You available? Or are you planning on going to the football game?" he teases, running his hands down her arms giving her goosebumps.

She laughs. "One sporting event this year was enough. Actually, I was thinking about running over to the newsroom to turn in an article. No one should be there, but I still have a key. Do you wanna... come with me?" she asks with a sly smile.

Logan studies her face closely. "Are you saying what I hope you're saying?"

Rory flushes and takes a big swallow of her beer.

"Let's go. Now," he says.

They rush out the door and wait for the elevator. He has already turned back toward the apartment when she says "Logan!"

"I'm on it," he yells as he runs back inside for a condom.

* * *

The party is in full swing, and Logan is in complete kiss-ass mode.

 _It turns out that prep school and cotillion and all of that other bullshit actually comes in handy in business._

He has had the same conversation six times in a row when he finally spots Rory entering the party. She looks amazing, showing a little cleavage, and his mind is instantly thrown back into the supply closet from this morning.

 _Get it together. You've got to get through this party._

He heads her way. "Hey you made it!"

"I made it," she replies quietly.

"You look beautiful," he says as he kisses her. "How was dinner? Did your mom really make snails?"

Rory's face is tight. "Not only did she make snails, she got married."

"What?"

"In France. To my dad."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"Wow."

"I know," she says.

 _She does not look happy._

"How do you feel about it?" he asks her.

"You mean besides really bad?"

"Do you want a drink?" is all he can think to ask.

"No, I'm good for now," she replies.

 _What can I do?_

"Alright. Let's go outside and talk about it," Logan says.

"No, I'm okay," she sighs. "I mean, I _will_ wanna talk about it, but right now I'm still processing."

"Well, it's a lot to process," he agrees. "Don't feel like you have to stay here if you don't want to."

"Oh, no. I want to be," she reassures him.

"You sure?" _I'm glad. You're my best cheerleader._

"Yeah. Little known fact. I am quite the compartmentalizer. In fact, I have a blister on my heel. I've been ignoring it all evening," she says.

"Alright. Well if you change your mind and want to talk about it..." Logan says.

"I'm fine," she stresses. "This is your night. So how can I help?"

He smiles. "Just be your charming, blister-ignoring self."

She finally smiles too. "I can do that. So, who's here? Or rather, who's not here?"

"Yeah, we got a pretty good turn out, huh?" He tries his best to keep the smugness out of his voice, but he's fairly sure he's not successful.

He steers her through the party pointing people out and grabbing hors d'oeuvres. Nick and Phillip come rushing up to greet Rory. Phillip comments on how beautiful she is, and Logan beams with pride.

Phillip leaves to get her a drink just as Bobbi comes over to greet her. Logan carefully watches their interaction.

They both speak in condescending tones, and Logan hopes this is not going to be a problem in the future.

Bobbi redeems herself in his eyes when she mentions Page Six, and they all smile. _This is actually happening. She is really good at her job... I just have to make sure Ace knows that I have zero interest in her._

Suddenly, Bobbi leans in close. "Ooh, Tripp Cavanaugh..."

"Hey, Tripp. Glad you could make it," Logan bullshits, shaking his hand. "Bobbi, you know Tripp?... And this is my girlfriend, Rory Gilmore."

He bites back a laugh as Tripp and Rory awkwardly kiss European-style. _I can't look at her, or I will laugh out loud._

"Tripp's just back from Tortola," Bobbi tells the group. "He's building an incredible house there."

"Oh, wow. Congratulations," Logan says.

Rory flips her hair over her shoulder, and he smells her shampoo. The supply closet memory hits his brain again. He starts tuning Tripp out.

Rory had gotten nervous as soon as they had realized the closet didn't lock from the inside. Even though no one was there, she had balked at undressing. But Logan had kissed her until she couldn't resist him. He had unsnapped her pants and gotten his hand into her panties, dirty-talking her until she melted. He had been content to stop there _(I just gave Ace an orgasm in the newsroom...)_ , but at that point she was ready to take her jeans down just far enough for him to bend her over a stack of boxes and take her from behind.

He is occasionally chiming into Tripp's construction tales of woe, but his mind is firmly locked into the earlier events of the day. A photographer comes to take their picture and the flash of the camera finally snaps Logan back into reality.

Tripp launches back into his story, and Logan doesn't know how much more he can listen. Bobbi comes over to bail them out, and he finally turns to look at Rory.

"Um, can we please never go to Tortola?" she asks.

He sighs. "I don't even want to meet John Turturro."

"Or eat tortellini."

He looks back over at Tripp to make sure he is engaged in another conversation, when he spies Hugo Grace.

"Oh hey, you'll actually like this guy," he says putting his hand on the small of her back and leading her towards the bar.

"Hugo!"

"Logan. Hey. How ya doin' man?" Hugo asks.

He shakes his hand and introduces Rory. He tells her a bit about Hugo's amazing career, but truthfully he can't wait to brag on _her_. "Rory's the editor of the Yale Daily News."

"Well, I _was_ the editor," she deflects. "I just abdicated my throne, or, rather, my swivel-chair."

"That's pretty impressive," Hugo says.

Phillip finally arrives with Rory's drink, and he turns to Logan. "Need your help, buddy. Dan Cryer's about one drink away from hitting on Jerrickson's wife."

Logan laughs. "That would be bad. Excuse me." Logan leaves to grab Dan. He pulls him away from Diane Jerrickson and asks him "Hey Dan. I have a quick question for you. Have you tried the Red course at Bethpage? I know you recently played the Black with my father, but the Red lets you use carts, so in my mind, it's infinitely better."

"I have played the Red. I enjoyed it. Not as challenging as the Black though."

"Yeah, yeah," Logan says. "My buddy Phil here is about to move to Manhattan, and he's an avid golfer. Do you think you could give him the skinny on the best courses around here?"

"Sure. Come on. Phil is it? Let's sit."

Phillip mouths a 'Thank you' as Logan leaves, heading back to Rory and Hugo. He arrives just as Hugo is leaving, and he watches with amusement as Hugo gives Rory his card.

"Look at you, getting a card."

"I know," she says. "He said that I should submit a piece for him, like something about this party."

"Seriously? You have to do it!" Logan says.

"I know. I am."

Just then Tripp comes barging back towards him. "Logan, Rory, I am so sorry I got pulled away. Natasha Wolfe actually has a house on another one of the Beef Islands. Not Tortola. Still, she had an interesting experience when she was building. She was allergic to the grass that was planted in her topiary garden! Can you imagine? Now, I feel like I need to fly to Tortola with my allergist and check to see if I might have the same problems."

 _This guy is killing me._

"Did you know that this is the busy season for allergists?" Rory asks Tripp, whose eyes widen in fear. "Yeah, I had an appointment with mine last week that took over a month to get. You should probably call yours tonight."

"On a Saturday night at ten o'clock?" Tripp asks.

"Well, a good allergist is always on call," Logan chimes in.

"You know, you're right. Excuse me," Tripp says, walking away from them.

"I love when you partake in subterfuge," Logan says, smiling at her and grabbing her waist. He kisses her lips sweetly.

"I'm sorry, I just literally could not take one more word out of him," she says.

"No. I owe you one." He pulls her body closer to his. "I'm having a hard time concentrating tonight. I can't stop thinking about earlier today."

Rory blushes bright pink. She smiles shyly and is about to respond when another guest comes over to greet them. Logan puts on his biggest smile and gets back to work. It is almost another hour before he is alone again.

He is sitting on one of the couches with his drink when she comes up behind him and whispers in his ear. "Have you seen the powder room in this place?"

"I haven't," he responds.

"It's amazing. Come see." She takes him by the hand and leads him down the corridor to a small powder room.

Logan looks around. "Okay. I give. What's so amazing?"

Rory shuts the door and turns to him. "It has a lock." She moves toward him and kisses him passionately. "I can't stop thinking about this morning either."

 _God, she is so fucking sexy._

He pulls her close and kisses along her jawline when a terrible thought hits him. "Dammit, Rory. We don't have condoms, and we can't chance it again."

"Why don't you have any in your wallet?"

"Why don't you have any in your purse?" he shoots back. He pulls her hips against his erection and groans into her hair.

She lets out a low moan. "You're gonna have to get creative," she says, pushing him down to his knees.

He smirks before ducking his head under her dress. He pushes her panties to the side, and Rory wraps her leg around his head. She braces against the sink, rolling her hips at him. He quickly unbuckles his pants to give himself a little room, then focuses all of his attention on Rory.

When she's finally still, he re-situates her panties and comes up for air. Rory hands him a tissue and reaches into his pants.

"I'm almost there already," he whispers hoarsely.

She wraps both of her hands around his dick and kisses him deeply. Within minutes, he comes in her hands. "Baby, I don't know what's gotten into you this weekend, but I _like_ it," he says.

"I don't know what's gotten into me either," she laughs.

Logan cleans up and gets his pants back on, while Rory washes her hands and touches up her makeup.

"We look okay, right?" she asks.

Logan looks at their flushed cheeks and dewy foreheads. "We look like we just fucked in the bathroom."

"Well we didn't!"

Logan throws her a side eye. "Technicality, Ace."

They both start laughing and head out of the powder room, holding hands and grinning at each other.

They have just turned the corner back into the Orchid Room when Bobbi and Nick approach.

"There you are. I have been looking everywhere for you. Where have you been?" Bobbi asks him.

Logan clears his throat. He feels his face flush, and he knows Rory must look like a splotchy tomato.

"Honestly," Bobbi says, raising her eyebrows at them. "I have someone I need to introduce you to. Excuse us for one moment, Rory."

"I'm... gonna get some water," Rory stammers. Logan leans down to kiss her cheek just before she heads toward the bar.

"You are shameless!" Bobbi says as they walk across the room.

"I would say 'I'm sorry', but... I'm really not," Logan responds, causing Nick to laugh out loud.

* * *

Rory is gushing from the passenger side of her car as Logan drives them back to New Haven. He smiles at her as she throws out ideas for her article.

"Maybe you can write about how roomy the bathroom of the Orchid Room is," Logan laughs.

"Shut up! This is serious. This could be a really huge opportunity for me." She continues throwing out ideas and writers whose style she wants to emulate. Logan is content to listen to her ramble.

 _It's not a sound I get to hear enough anymore._

Once in the apartment, Logan heads to the shower, while Rory immediately opens her laptop. He comes out a few minutes later to find her deep at work.

"I'm sorry," she says. "I'll come to bed."

"No, Ace. Write now while your ideas are fresh. I'm exhausted anyway. And I'm here until Monday. We're not in a rush." He kisses her on the top of her head. "I'll read it in the morning. I love you."

"Love you too, Babe," she says, not looking up from her screen.

 _I'm so proud of her._

Logan sleeps late the next day. He finds Rory next to the coffee pot, and he can tell by the way she's buzzing around that she has already had a few cups.

"Did you even sleep?" he asks her as she hands him a mug of coffee.

"A little," she says. "I climbed in beside you for a few hours, but you were out cold. Then I just woke up this morning and started to edit and finish and... here. Just read it."

"Wow. I can't believe you already finished all this," Logan says as he takes the paper from her and begins reading.

 _"Let them drink Cosmos." Hmph._

He has pause at some of the harsher jabs in the opening paragraph, but keeps reading.

 _She's being wry._

As he continues reading, though, he is less and less sure of her tone. _This is really mean. And unfair. And... wow. She hates all of these people who I'm counting on to make this website a success. If Hugo publishes this, I could lose investments._

"I don't know. I think the piece is good. I was just on a roll. You know, I mean I was hopped up. I couldn't sleep. I was just way too excited, and I drank way too much coffee. Way too much coffee. Oh, I should really stop talking and let you finish reading," Rory rambles.

He flips to the last page, praying he will find some redemptive note here. _Maybe this is satire that I'm just not getting... Nope. Just mean._

"So..." Rory says as she walks back over. "What do you think?"

 _What do I think? I think you hate everything about the life I grew up in, which I can somewhat understand. But it is obvious that this is not a life you want to be a part of... and that hurts._

He flips the paper back to the front, unsure of where to start.

"I don't know what to say," he offers lamely.

"Oh, I know the ending is a little convoluted, but I-"

"It's not convoluted," he interrupts. "You made your feelings perfectly clear."

"What do you mean?" she asks quietly.

"Just that. It must have been really hard for you at my party surrounded by all those people who- how do you put it? 'Who can no more imagine a world without trust funds than a world without water. Imported and bubbly, of course.'" He cannot keep the anger out of his voice.

"Oh, no. That was meant to be funny," she says.

He heads back to the coffee pot for a refill. Anything to keep his hands busy. "It sounds torturous, being stuck there with these 'over-privileged sons and daughters of somebodies who fail to grasp how out of touch they seem to those of us who don't have an errant domestic employee or a construction problem on Beef Island.'" He walks back to her and drops the paper back in front of her.

"You're mad?"

"You're damn right I'm mad," he says, no longer bothering to try and hide his anger. _This is my life, my work._

"But you were making fun of these people all night," she rationalizes.

"I was joking. I wasn't standing there judging everyone!"

"I didn't judge everyone," she says.

"The title of your article is 'Let them drink cosmos'," he argues. "I was joking around with my girlfriend. I wasn't comparing a whole class of people to Marie Antoinette."

"I'm so sorry. I really didn't think this would upset you," Rory says.

 _She sounds sincere. But... come on._

"You didn't think it would upset me?"

"No, no. I was just writing. I was worked up. I was mad at my mom. Maybe that kind of got into the piece somehow. But no, this was meant to be funny. I didn't think you would take it personally," Rory explains. "I mean, you're totally different from these people."

"No, I'm not. And you know what, I don't want to be." _I have changed so much of myself for you, but I can't change who I fundamentally am as a person._

"Logan-"

"What?" he explodes. "I'm a rich trust-fund kid. I'm not ashamed of it."

"No, and you shouldn't be. That's not what I meant," she says. "My point- I mean, the point I was trying to make- was that people use connections to get ahead."

"Oh, give me a break. You act like making connections is something nefarious. It's not. It's just people meeting people."

"Well, it's certain people meeting certain people. It's not like anyone's meeting Joe Bus Driver," she says.

 _There it is. That judgmental tone._

"And you're Joe Bus Driver?" he asks incredulously.

"Well, no, but-"

"Exactly!" he interrupts her. "I mean where do you get off acting all morally superior?"

"That is not what I intended to say at all!"

Logan can feel his anger rising, and he is fairly certain this is about to escalate into something he will regret. But he can't stop himself.

"You clearly think you are. Why? Because you read 'Ironweed'? Cause you saw 'Norma Rae'? Wake up, Rory," he says over her protests. "Whether you like it or not, you're one of us. You went to prep school. You go to Yale. Your grandparents are building a whole damn astronomy building in your name!"

"That is different, okay? It's not like I live off a five million dollar trust fund my parents set up for me," she rails.

"Yeah, well you're not exactly paying rent, either."

 _Shit, that's not-_

"Screw you, Logan." Rory grabs her purse and is out the door before he even realizes she is leaving.

Logan puts his head in his hands.

 _I totally didn't mean that literally. It was a euphemism._

 _But honestly, where does she get off? She is only writing this article through a connection she made through me, her rich trust-fund boyfriend._

 _Ugh. How did this escalate into such a huge thing. I hate fighting with her. We don't have enough time together as it is..._

He cancels his appointment with the realtor ( _I don't want to look at apartments without her_ ) and shoots her a quick text.

 **I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean it like that. Please come home.**

She doesn't respond, and after an hour of moping, he calls Colin to see what he's up to. He comes over shortly to watch the Giants game, and Logan manages to distract himself for a little while.

He is constantly checking his phone though, causing Colin to comment.

"Rory can hold a grudge, can't she? Stephanie's the same way. She'll turn every little thing into a big deal. And it's always my fault."

Logan smiles. "Women. What are you gonna do?"

Colin laughs too. "She knows I would never break up with her." He stops smiling and continues. "It's hard when you love them more than they love you."

Logan stares at him, but Colin is oblivious, his attention already back to the game.

 _Is that what's happening here? Do I love Rory more than she loves me?_

Mostly to assuage his own anxiety, Logan says "Come on, Steph is crazy about you."

"Oh, I know," Colin says. "She loves me. Just not as much as I love her. It's okay. Someone has to love more," he says, very matter-of-factly.

Colin's words stay with Logan long after he's left. They replay on a constant loop in his head.

 _"Someone has to love more."_

Later in the evening, after Logan has about driven himself crazy, he gets a phone call from Nick. He pushes Rory out of his mind and tries to get his business head on.

"Dan Cryer left last night without opting in. He told Phillip that he just wasn't sure about this 'social media' stuff," Nick says.

Logan reassures him. "Listen, he's a guy we can easily swing if we kiss his ass enough. My father plays golf with him. I can do that too. And I suck at golf, so he can win big, teach me all he knows, yadda, yadda. Then I can tell him how social media is going to take over in the future. We just have to ease him in. He's old school."

"Are you sure?" Nick asks. "I feel like I should call him, while everything from last night is fresh."

"No. Trust me. Don't call him today," Logan says.

"But we need his money."

"He's going to put his money down," Logan promises. "He just doesn't like the aggressive stuff. We have to sit back, relax, let him come to us. If we don't hear from him in a week, then we panic."

He hears the lock turn and the door open.

 _Rory._

"Yeah, Nick. I gotta call you back."

"Okay, but-"

"Alright, bye." Logan hangs up the phone. "Sorry," he says, turning to Rory. "I hope it's okay that I'm here."

"Hey, it's your apartment," she says with an uneasy smile.

"Rory," he sighs. "I'm so sorry I said that."

"Yeah, well..."

 _Someone has to love more, and I don't care if that someone is me._

"I was way out of line. I just... I love it that you're here. You know that I love it that you're here," he says.

"Yeah, no. I know," she says.

"I was just upset."

She looks right in his eyes as she walks past him. "Well you had every right to be. That article was awful."

 _She's backing down?_

"It wasn't awful," Logan says.

"It was awful. And mean and judgmental, as you said," Rory sighs. "I don't even know why I didn't see that or what I was thinking, except that maybe I wasn't thinking."

He follows her into the kitchen. "Look, it's okay."

"No, it's not okay. I was just trying to write a clever article, and I didn't mean to upset you, but I should have thought about it. I should have known," she says.

"But if that's the way you feel..."

"But that's just it. It's not the way I feel," she protests.

"You don't have to approve of every thing I do," he says quietly.

"I know that, but I actually do. I mean, I have total respect for everything that you're doing. I'm so proud of you," she says.

Logan's heart thumps in his chest. "I know you are."

"Do you? Because I really need you to know that."

He smiles. "I really know that."

"Because I am."

"I know."

"Promise?" she asks.

"I promise," he says, laughing. "And the truth is I wouldn't be so upset if you weren't such a good writer. I mean, talk about the pen being mightier than the sword. It's true. That pen of yours is a Howitzer."

"You don't have to say that," she deflects.

"I wouldn't, if it wasn't true."

"Can we talk about something other than the article?"

Logan laughs again. "Hey! You got to compliment me. Let me compliment you."

"We're complimenting each other now?"

"If you'll let me," he says.

She concedes. "I guess that's okay."

"You're a really great writer, Ace."

"You have really great hair." She smiles that 1000-watt smile that he can never resist.

"You've got awesome teeth. I've always admired your teeth," he says softly as he moves closer to her.

"Really? I never knew," she says coyly.

"Yep. Particularly the bottom ones," he says pulling her in by her waist.

"I love you so much," she whispers.

"I love you too," he replies, kissing her deeply.

She pulls away before he is ready.

"Um... but here's the thing."

 _No. No things. Just kissing._

"I have to move out of this apartment," she continues.

"No, you don't." _I want you here._

"Yes, I do. I always thought that you would come back and live here, but now that you're getting your own place nearby, it's just different," she says.

"No, it's not," he protests.

"Yes, it is. It's just something I have to do... for me. But you should know, I plan on taking Henry with me."

He leans in for another kiss when there is a knock at the door.

"You'll have to take that up with him. You did insult him earlier," he quips as he heads toward the door.

"Did I? Hmm."

He is surprised to find Lorelei behind the door. "Hey," he says.

"Hi. I'm sorry. I would have buzzed up, but I saw a delivery guy coming in, so I just slipped in with him. Boy, they sure do eat well over in 4-F. Can I come in?"

 _I don't know that I've ever seen Lorelei nervous._

"Oh, yeah. Sure. Come on in." He opens the door wider and leads her in.

Rory is standing there, with a blank look on her face.

"What are you doing here?" she asks her mother.

"Well, I just... I wanted to see you," Lorelei sighs.

 _Chilly in here. Time to exit._

"Look I gotta run out and take care of a few things," he says, grabbing his coat. "Good to see you Lorelei."

"Good to see you too."

He heads down the elevator and out into the cool night. He walks around the block for a while, enjoying the quiet New Haven air.

 _So what if I love her more. She **does** love me. I know she does. And once I'm close again, I can convince her that hobnobbing with rich snobs is not so bad, as long as we're doing it together._

Eventually, Rory calls to tell him it is safe to come home.

He walks into the apartment to find Rory lying on the bed in lingerie he has never seen before.

 _Wow. Yes, please._

He strips off his clothes as he makes his way toward the bed. Her eyes rake over his body as he climbs on top of her.

"Make-up sex?" she asks.

"Only good thing about fighting," he says before he puts his mouth on hers.

* * *

A/N: So I apologize for any confusion from last chapter's cliff hanger! I always work within the canon of the show, so Rory was never going to be pregnant. I just wanted the conversations where we can see how Logan is actively planning a future with Rory, and she is just completely unsure about everything. He's having thoughts that will led him to the proposal, and her head is not in the same space.

I agree with those of you who think that pregnancy is a trite fanfiction trope, and I hate that ASP wanted that to be our ending all along. Never been more grateful for Season 7!

And if you've never read Mashable, I highly recommend it. It's a real website, whose timeline matches close enough that I could fudge it into this story.


	7. Chapter 7

Author Note: Thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing!

Characters do not belong to me.

Logan's inner thoughts are in italics.

* * *

On Monday morning, Logan rolls out of bed far sooner than he would like. He takes a quick shower, then begins packing his bag.

Rory hears him and lifts her head from her pillow. "Nooooo."

He comes over to sit beside her. "I know, but I'll be back soon. Three weeks. Ish. Okay? And we're getting so close to Christmas."

"Oh, I can't wait. Thirteen uninterrupted days with you. But are you sure you can't come back next week too?" she asks.

Logan laughs. "Well, the Brits take Thanksgiving as an affront, so I'll be working. But just remember, the sooner I can finish all my projects, the sooner I can be in New York full time."

"Okay, fine. But if you're going to leave me alone on Thanksgiving, the least you can do is come back to bed for a minute," she says.

"Ace… You're naked. You know if I get in there with you, I'm not coming out for an hour, and I have a plane to catch." She pouts until he relents. "Fine, but all of my clothes stay on, and keep your hands to yourself, Rory!"

He toes off his shoes, then slides back into bed to spoon with her, desperately trying to ignore her body and how badly he wants it.

She sighs against him. "I'm really sorry about yesterday. We lost so much time together."

"I know, baby. I'm sorry, too," he says, kissing her hair. "But our time apart is almost over, and we made it."

"How pissed do you think Mitchum and Shira are that three thousand miles wasn't enough to keep us apart?" she asks.

"You know, I think my dad has come around. He realizes that one of the reasons I'm doing so well at HPG is your influence. My mom… Well, she may never come around, but lucky for you, I don't care what she thinks," he tells her.

Rory looks back at him and smiles. "Lucky for me." She turns in his arms until they are facing, and she snuggles her head into his neck.

He breathes her in for a minute, running his hands along her bare back until he reaches the curve of her hips, and he can't contain his body's reaction. Rory reaches her hand down in between them and gropes over the bulge in his pants.

"Ace…" he groans. "I have to go," he says, even as he simultaneously thrusts towards her.

"You're not exactly pushing me away," she whispers as she nibbles on his earlobe.

 _Fuck it. There's got to be a later flight._

He pulls her on top of him, causing her to giggle. "Fine, but only once," he laughs.

* * *

It does feel odd to Logan the next week when no one mentions Thanksgiving. He has been trying to explain to his friends in London why it is such a great holiday, but he can't explain much more than food and football.

Later on the phone with Rory, he asks her "What is it about Thanksgiving? Mentally, I know it's just another day, but emotionally, I don't know how I am supposed to work. I don't know if I can handle Thursday without turkey, cranberry sauce, and the Lions losing."

"I think it's just the traditions that are so ingrained in us," she says. "I mean, we _could_ eat turkey every day, and some people watch football every weekend, but it wouldn't feel as good as it does on Thanksgiving."

"Yeah, I don't like it."

"Poor baby. If I could wrap up Sookie's meal and send it, I would," she says.

"I know… Let me tell you, at Christmas, we are eating Christmas food. _American_ Christmas food. I don't care that it's just the two of us," Logan says.

"Oh… Actually, I promised my mom that I would save Christmas for her."

"What? You'll be here, right? You're still coming? Right?" he asks frantically.

"Of course," she says. "But Mom and I always do Christmas with each other, so we're just going to put it on hold until I'm home, and we're physically together."

 _What the hell?_

"You can't be serious," he says.

"Um…"

"Ace. We are decorating a tree. We are drinking eggnog. We are eating turkey. I'm giving you a gift. Lorelei is just going to have to deal with it."

Rory is quiet.

"Baby. _Come on._ I have been planning this trip since May. Are you really going to deny me Christmas?" he asks. He lays it on a little thicker. "I'm already getting shorted Thanksgiving."

"Okay, fine," she relents. "But if my mom asks you, just say you've converted to Judaism or something."

"Done. Shalom."

Three days later, a package arrives at his apartment. It is a can of cranberry sauce with a note that reads:

 **Eat Thursday, or save until Hanukkah with me. Love, Rory.**

He decides to save it.

* * *

Two weeks after Thanksgiving, Logan flies into LaGuardia. He has a quick meeting in the city with Pete, and then he drives his rental car to New Haven as fast as he can.

He grabs Thai takeout and heads to their apartment. He opens the door to find Rory on the couch watching TV.

"Oh, wow," she says, getting up to hug him. "You got here so fast!"

"I couldn't wait to see you," he says laying a kiss on her lips. "I brought dinner. You hungry?"

"Starving."

 _Of course._

He heads into the kitchen, noticing boxes all over the countertops.

"What is all this?" he asks.

"I'm moving, remember?" she says.

"You already found a place? I was hoping you'd change your mind and stay… If this is about what I said about rent-"

"It's not."

"-you know I didn't mean it. And you're comfortable and safe here. And moving is such a pain in the ass," he finishes.

"Yeah, about that. Can you help me move tomorrow?" she asks with a smile.

"Tomorrow? You're really doing this? I can't talk you out of it?"

"No. I have to go," she says adamantly.

"Fine," he groans. "I have to work, but I can help you in the morning. So where is this place? Did you get a roommate?"

"Uh… Two actually."

He frowns. "Who are they? Do I know them?"

"Actually, you do… I'm moving back in with Paris and Doyle," she says, hiding her face behind a carton of noodles.

He stares at her for a moment. "No. No, absolutely not."

"What- are you forbidding me?" she asks, putting the noodles down.

"Rory. This is not some caveman bullshit. You know I don't do that. This is about… Well, number one, it's not safe there. At all. And number two, Paris is completely unstable. What if she kicks you out again?"

"Logan, everything will be fine."

"You can't just indulge me here?" he asks.

 _I'm practically begging._

"I can't, sweetie. My feminist sensibilities won't let me be a kept woman any longer," she jokes.

"You know at some point, you are going to have to get comfortable with the fact that I have a lot of money. And so do you, for that matter," he tells her.

"Yes, but that point is not coming today," she says.

* * *

The next day, they load up her car and his rental with boxes and head to the other side of town.

Doyle meets them downstairs with a kiss on the cheek for Rory and a friendly hug for Logan. Despite his overt dorkiness, Logan has always had a soft spot for Doyle, and he has to admit, he feels better about Rory living here knowing that it won't just be her and Paris.

 _It's not like I'm counting on Doyle to protect her from drug dealers. Paris is actually more suited for that. But hopefully, he can protect her from Paris._

"Thanks, Doyle. It should only take a trip or two," Rory tells him.

Logan glances at her to see if she's joking.

 _It only took a couple of trips at my place because we have an elevator there._

She seems serious, so he just shakes his head and pops his trunk. He grabs a couple of boxes, and heads up the stairs. "Same room?" he calls back to her.

"Yes, just pile it all in there," she says.

The boxes are heavy, and he is starting to get tired. _Why didn't we hire someone to do this? She has got to stop being so weird about money._

They take a break to get water, and Logan poses a question to Rory. "Is there any time while I'm here this week that we can look at apartments in the city? Honor has done some scouting and there are three she wants me to look at. I just don't want to choose anything until you get to see them."

"Maybe. It depends on when you go. I have some papers due. Does my opinion really matter?" she asks.

"Of course. I mean, obviously I'm hoping you'll be spending a lot of time there. Maybe even live there after your graduation," he says.

"I don't know if her opinion _should_ matter, Logan," Doyle says. "She's choosing to live here over your penthouse."

"He's making a good point, Rory," Logan says, laughing.

"Guys, quit fucking around. Let's go. We can't leave Rory's stuff on the street for too long," Paris shouts.

 _Thanks for reminding me of the exact reason I don't want her here._

They all sigh and head back out the door.

They are finally making the last trip, which of course is another heavy box of books. He gets it into the apartment quipping "My God, woman. Is there a book you _don't_ own?"

"I'm so sorry," she apologizes.

"I think I may have reactivated my scoliosis," Doyle comments, bringing his box into the bedroom.

"Suck it up, people. That was the last of it," Paris barks.

"So much for one trip," Logan chides her.

"Who knew I had nine trips worth of stuff?" she asks.

 _We did, when we moved it this morning. Selective memory._

"Your place is so big, it made my stuff look small and inconsequential," she continues. "Did I mention I'm so sorry?"

"Two copies of the Norton Anthology?" he says, pulling them out of a box.

"They were gifts," she explains. "I can't get rid of gifts."

Paris re-enters the room nearly bumping into him as she plows through. "Okay, looks like all that's left to do now is the paperwork," she says.

"Paperwork?" Rory asks.

"The lease," Paris says.

 _Oh, this should be good._

Logan listens with a grin as Paris stream rolls Rory into signing the agreement. He is pulling books out of boxes when he hears his name.

"Rights and privileges of Logan Huntzburger or any other paramours?" Rory asks.

 _Other paramours? Who are these other paramours?_

"If Logan is going to be spending an inordinate amount of time here, it's only fair to assess a daily tariff for water and power use," Paris says.

 _Sure, why not? Apparently I have to make sure that I am the only paramour here._

To his amusement, Paris explains how she will come up with this number, adding that "Sunday is no charge."

He grins. "It's okay. I'll kick in, Paris."

"Thattaboy, Rockefeller."

Logan checks his watch and sees that he will be late if he doesn't leave right then, so he heads toward his girl.

"Alright, I better take off."

"Oh no. You just got here, and we spent the whole time moving," she says.

"Why don't you come in on Thursday? I've got to wine and dine some clients, but you should join us. It'll be fun. We'll rack up an obscene bill at Nobu and charge it all to my dad," he suggests.

"Oh, I can't. Its Lucy's twenty-first birthday on Thursday. We're throwing her a big party. I was hoping you'd be able to come," she says.

"I can't. Nobu."

"Nobu, schmobu," she jokes. "It's a college party. Don't you miss college parties? Our theme's 2002!"

 _2002?_

"Why?" he asks.

"Just because. Why, what's your theme?" she asks.

Logan laughs. "Contracts."

"Ugh, boring. 2002's so much better. Just bring your clients, and we'll let them tap the keg."

"Rory!"

"Come on. It's a 2002 party, right? In 2002, you were a college freshman. You would have been completely bored by businessmen and thrilled to go to a party thrown by three hot senior girls," she says.

 _I'm still bored by businessmen, and there is one hot senior girl I have a hard time saying 'no' to._

"It's all very tempting, but I have to go," he says reaching for her waist.

"I know," she pouts.

"I love you."

She kisses him sweetly. "Love you, too."

He turns to leave. _I am going to be so late._

He pats Doyle on the back and scoots out quickly. As the door shuts behind him, he hears Paris yell "I'll put you down for half a day, Logan!"

 _Jesus Christ._

Logan races back into the city to start a full day of work on the merger. He is exhausted at the end of the day, but can't wait to call Rory when he gets back to Honor's place.

"How great is it to be in the same time zone?" Logan asks her. "How was the rest of your day? Did you get all settled in?"

"I did. Thank you for helping me. And I'm so sorry about Paris. I can't believe she wants to charge you for being there," Rory says.

"Hey whatever it takes for her not to kick you out again, I will do."

"And thanks for not fighting me too hard on this. I know it's not where you want me to live," she says.

"It's not," he agrees. "But I know when you've made up your mind, and it's only for a couple of months, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," she says absently. "When are you looking at apartments in the city?"

"I have to do it Thursday morning. That's the only time the realtor has available, and I have to find something if I'm going to move in January. Do you think you can come?" he asks.

"I doubt it. I have class in the morning, and then I promised Lucy and Olivia that I would help them set up for the party," she responds.

 _Something is off._

"Is everything okay?" he asks her. _She wants to help me pick an apartment, right? I mean, surely she cares where I live._

"Yes, I think I'm just tired from all the moving today. Can I get back to you in the morning? Now that we're in the same time zone and all?" she asks.

"Of course. I love you." _Calm down. She is only passing because she has prior commitments._

"You too."

Honor is waiting when he comes out of her guest room. "Ready to go to dinner?" she asks. "We have a lot to catch up on! I'm so glad we have a couple of days!"

Logan gears up.

 _Here we go. Yes, Rory and I are great. Yes, we are excited about my moving to New York. Yes, I_ _ **am**_ _going to propose, but I don't know when yet. Yes, I have my eye on a ring. Yes, I will keep you in the loop. Yes, I'm sure she will ask you to be a bridesmaid…_

* * *

The next couple of days fly by. Nobu is a triumph, and Logan is feeling successful, yet slightly hungover, when he heads back to New Haven on Friday morning.

Pete has flown back to Scotland for the week so Logan actually has a little free time, and he knows exactly how he wants to spend it. He immediately heads to Paris's apartment, trying to ignore the new graffiti on the side of the building.

Rory opens the door to him, still wearing her pajamas.

"You don't look good, babe," he tells her.

"I'm hungover," she bemoans. "I need a shower… and some food."

"Me, too," he laughs. "How about you share your shower, and I'll take you out for tacos and a coke?"

"Sounds good. But I'm probably too tired for sex right now in case you thought shower was code for something else."

"No, I got you," he says. He laughs. "Though I probably wouldn't turn down sex if you were offering."

Later as the hot water runs over them, Rory leans into him and says "I'm so glad you are coming home for good. Now we can have lazy moments like this without feeling like we are wasting precious time."

"I know. I missed all this mundane stuff just as much as I missed the big stuff," he says, kissing her forehead. "Feeling better? You about ready for tacos?"

"Actually," she says turning off the shower, "Maybe we could eat in the dining hall?"

"Why would we do that?" he asks.

"Well, it's free. I mean, it's already been paid for on my meal plan, and I have rent to pay now, and…"

"Rory," he sighs, grabbing a towel. "I can buy you a taco."

"You can buy me lots of things, Logan. I just need to feel like I'm equal, contributing to this relationship," she explains.

"Where is all this money stuff coming from? Because I've always had it, and it's only been the last month or so that you have been so concerned with it," he says.

She pulls a shirt over her head and sits down on the bed. "I don't know. It's just a feeling I've had lately. And I promise it's not about our fight. I think… I'm seeing how my dad is changing now that he has a lot of money. And how that's changing my mom. Their dynamic is just different now, and I don't want that to happen to me. To us."

Logan nods his head in understanding.

 _I don't really understand, but whatever she needs to feel comfortable, I will have to do._

"Okay, to the dining hall," he says, dropping his towel and pulling on some boxers.

As they pull up to campus, Logan takes in the buildings, the quad, the students milling about.

 _Wow, I did not realize how much I missed this place. Or at least how easy I had it here._

"I need to turn in a paper, and I'm gonna grab some coffee. You want?" she asks.

"No, I'm gonna pretend I'm still a student. Get a paper. _Not_ go to class. Watch the hippies play hacky-sack," he laughs. "Text me when you want me to meet you in the dining hall."

Close to an hour later, Logan's phone rings. "Hey!"

"Sorry that took longer than I thought. Where are you?" she asks.

"I'm on the bench outside Branford where you used to get coffee."

"Okay. I'll be there in just a minute."

She approaches shortly and leans down over his shoulder to kiss his cheek. "Just like old times!"

He smiles his biggest smile at her, and stands up to take her by the hand. They get in line outside of the dining hall. He leans close to her, and says "We had some good times in here."

"I know. We stole ice cream! And every time I walk past here, I think about you climbing in my window," she says, smiling. "Changed my life."

"Mine too," he agrees.

"Hey, you can come to my parents wedding party, right?" she asks. "My mom needs to pad her guest list."

Logan laughs. "You mean, she's not inviting me because of how much she adores me? I'm wounded."

"Hush. She likes you! And… my family's wedding parties are important history for us."

Logan smiles again. _I'm liking all this memory lane stuff. It's crazy to think how long we have actually been together now._

As they reach the door, the smell of the cafeteria hits him hard. "You know, we don't have to eat here."

"Oh, yes, we do. We're on my turf now," she says.

"Your turf?"

"My turf."

"You know, I did go to school here," he says.

"Yeah, you graduated from Yale. You could eat from their cafeteria at least once," she teases him.

He shrugs his shoulders. "I stopped by for the occasional bowl of cereal."

"Yeah, cereal does not count, okay?" she says.

 _When you eat as much of it as you do, it does._

"You need to get something hot, mushy, and meaty," she continues.

"You're not making it sound too appetizing," he laughs.

"Oh, it's not! I have an extra family pass from Parents' Weekend," she informs him.

"Oh, so when your _parents_ came to visit, they got to eat real food?" he asks.

"Mm-hmm. I'm gonna tell them you're my brother, and that you're gonna get your meal comped," she says.

 _This is your hang-up, not mine._

"I don't mind paying for my mushy meat," he tells her.

"No," she chastises. "That's not the issue. I mean, I know how to work the system."

She is so adorable, that he can't help smiling at her. "Oh, you do."

"Yeah, you know me. I can be crafty."

 _Please._

"Yeah, you can be crafty. You can make a necklace out of macaroni, but this is high stakes deception!"

"Well, what's my middle name?" she says in all seriousness. "Rory 'High-Stakes Deception' Gilmore."

They are at the front of the line, and he smiles as Rory tells the cashier that he is her brother.

"Logan!"

Logan looks up to see his old buddy, Evan. _God, I haven't seen him since Costa Rica._

They bro-shake, and Evan says "What's up brother? What the hell are you doing here? I thought you moved to London to run the world or something."

"Just back for a visit," he explains.

"My brother went here too," Rory tells the cashier lamely.

"Isn't this your girlfriend, Rory?" Evan asks.

Logan looks blankly at the cashier and then at his girl. "I don't know… Is it?"

She gives up quickly. "I'm a terrible liar."

"Apparently so," Logan says, smiling.

"Hi, I'm Rory," she introduces herself.

"Evan. Nice to meet you."

"You too." She turns back to the cashier. "So, Dennis, how much is a lunch pass?"

"$9.75."

 _We could have gotten the tacos for less than that!_

Logan turns back to Evan. "So you're still with Nicole?"

"Yeah, till I die or she kills me," Evan replies.

Logan laughs. _With your wild streak, anything is possible._ "Well, give her my best."

"Will do, buddy. Good to see you, Logan."

"You too." Logan says.

"Nice to meet you, Rory," Evan says as he leaves.

"You too, bye!" Rory says in that fake voice she uses when she's embarrassed.

He can't help but tease her. "Smooth!"

"Shut up."

"Way to work the system," he teases.

"You totally left me hanging there!" she pouts.

"What could I do? You were working the system," he says. "In fact, you were working the system so well, I think the system needs a day off."

She ignores his taunts and turns to the servers. "I'll have the chicken, and he'll have the meatloaf, extra gravy," she says.

"Nice." _Man, I love her._

They take their plates and are turning towards the tables, when Rory says "Oh, hey! There's Lucy. Lucy!" she calls out.

A cute girl with dark hair comes over from the cereal station. "Hi!" she chirps. "You must be Rory's imaginary boyfriend, Logan."

He shakes her hand and smiles. "Hi, Lucy."

"Hi. I would give you a proper hug, but my pockets are full of Apple Jacks. I have art history in a few minutes, and my professor sounds like Garrison Keillor on Quaaludes. So I need a constant intake of sugar just to stay awake," Lucy says.

 _I like her. I like that Rory has a friend who is capable of smiling._

"Well, I was just treating Logan to his first Branford dining hall meatloaf," Rory tells her.

"Oh, you're in for a treat… and a stomachache," Lucy says.

"I can tell." _This will not help the hangover._

"So congratulations on buying the internet or something," she says.

"Thank you. Although Al Gore and I are still negotiating, so it's not a done deal yet," he quips.

"It's too bad you have class. You could have eaten with us," Rory says.

"Sad. Hey, but why don't we have dinner? I have a lecture tonight, but what about tomorrow night?" Lucy asks.

"Sure," Rory says, right as he agrees. "Sounds good."

"Fun! We have to go to Panchali's. It's this new Indian restaurant right off campus. It's awesome, and I swear, no matter how much food you order, you cannot spend more than seven bucks," she says, with such enthusiasm that he feels compelled to agree.

"Sounds like stomachache number two," he says.

Someone calls to her, and Lucy turns around. "Boyfriend!"

She motions him over, and as the guy approaches, Logan realizes its Marty Jones.

 _Wow, another guy I haven't seen in ages. I wonder why Ace didn't tell me that Marty was Lucy's boyfriend._

Lucy starts to introduce them, but Logan quickly interrupts. "I know Marty. How you doin' man?"

"Hey," Marty says quietly before shifting his eyes to Rory.

"How do you two know each other?" Lucy asks.

"Uh, we met when I was bartending one of Logan's parties," Marty says.

"What a coinky-dink," Lucy says.

"More than one," Logan says. "He did a couple of blowouts for me, and if I'm not mistaken, at the last one, cops were called."

"Sounds familiar," Marty says.

"You know, you probably met Marty, too, and you just didn't even know it," Lucy says to Rory.

 _What?_

He turns to look at Rory, whose face is blank, but whose cheeks are flushing. She doesn't meet his gaze.

He hears Marty saying he needs to leave, and as Logan looks back to him, Marty is catching eyes with Rory again.

 _What the hell?_

Lucy says goodbye too, and Logan fakes a smile. "Later." He turns to Rory who is also fake smiling.

"Hey, uh, come on," she says, leading him toward a table.

 _What the hell?_

"Is this okay?" she asks him nervously.

"Fine… So what's with that? What's with the whole 'you must have met Marty' thing?" he asks.

She laughs it off. "Oh, I had meant to tell you."

She doesn't elaborate, so he prods. "Tell me what?"

"Um, it's kind of embarrassing," she says, sitting down at the table. "It's so juvenile and lame. It's like high school, not even high school. Junior high."

 _She's rambling._

"I'm listening."

"Well, I've been hanging out with Lucy and Olivia, and I keep hearing about Lucy's boyfriend, and… they never actually said his name. And then when I finally met him, it was Marty… And before I could even say anything, he just pretended like we've never met… And I just didn't know what to do, so I went along with it, but now Lucy still doesn't know that we know each other… It's just kind of weird and awkward… And did I mention juvenile?"

 _Something doesn't add up._

"Why did you go along with it?" he asks.

"I don't know. It just happened so fast. I was caught off guard," she stammers.

"So, why would he pretend not to know you?" Logan asks, fairly certain he knows the answer.

"I don't know. I mean, maybe because he used to like me, and maybe he still does a little."

 _There it is. Well at least she's not completely oblivious._

"But that's stupid," she continues, "because he's with Lucy now, and she's amazing. They're great together, and it's all so annoying. I mean they don't call people by name…"

Logan stops listening for a moment. _Is she into him? Why has she not told me any of this? She has been friends with these girls all semester, and somehow it never dawned on her to tell me that Marty was back, and oh yeah, he still likes her?_

"So what happened?" he asks, trying not to sound as freaked out as he feels.

"What do you mean?" she asks him.

"Well, he must have said or done something, right? To make you think he's still into you."

"Hmm, I don't know," Rory deflects. "He said I was beautiful. To me, he said it."

 _Asshole._

"Well, can't blame the guy for that. You are beautiful," Logan says, again trying to stay calm.

"The way he said it," she explains further.

 _Asshole._

"You're right… So, what? You guys have been hanging out?" He looks up at her, needing a facial expression here.

"No." She seems surprised at his question. "No. I mean, just when he's around with Lucy."

"So you have been hanging out," he presses.

"Just with Lucy," she insists.

"So why the secrecy?" _Is there a reason you haven't told me this? Like maybe you're into him too..._

"I told you. I was caught off guard."

"No, with me. Why did you never mention that you and Marty were hanging out again?" he asks.

"Oh, I just didn't think it mattered," she says.

"Well, you're just not usually the secret-keeping type," he says. "Of course, that is before I knew you were Rory 'High-Stakes Deception' Gilmore," he tries to joke.

"No, it wasn't a secret. I mean, I didn't tell you. That's it. I swear. I mean, I didn't _not_ tell you. I just didn't think there was anything to tell," Rory says.

 _That is the definition of a secret._

Logan sighs loudly. "Well, you have to tell Lucy."

"I know," she agrees. "I will. I just need to figure out the right time and way to do it. I just don't want to screw anything up."

"A little brotherly advice- tell her sooner, rather than later." _Before Marty cashes in on whatever game he's playing._

"Yeah. I will. I'll figure something out," she says. "We don't have to go to dinner with them though. I can cancel that."

"No, it's fine. We can go to dinner with them," he says.

 _Why don't you want to go to dinner with them?_

 _I gotta ask. We are supposed to be completely honest with each other._

"Unless there's something on your end," he says, searching her face for a sign.

"No. Logan. God, no."

"Good, then let's go to dinner," he responds turning back to his meatloaf.

"Okay," she says in a small voice.

 _Shit. I pushed too far. Lighten it back up._

"Really? They charge ten bucks for this?" he says holding up his fork.

"Mm-hmm…" She pauses for a moment. "So have I met Evan before?"

"Yeah, he was Life and Death Brigade the year behind me. His girlfriend is Nicole. You remember her. Her mom is the doctor who helped me out after my accident." _Surely you remember me jumping off a cliff because I thought you were cheating on me with Jess._

 _Always good to end one uncomfortable conversation with a different uncomfortable conversation. Idiot._

"Oh, right. I liked Nicole…" she trails off as the awkwardness takes over again.

They eat in silence for a few minutes, both picking at their food. Finally Rory says "My stomach is just not ready for this. Can we go get tacos and a coke?"

Logan looks up at her. She is wearing the 1000-watt smile he loves, and he feels the tension leave his mind.

 _She loves_ _ **me**_ _. She chose me over Marty then, and she would choose me now. I'm being ridiculous._

"Yes, please. Let's get tacos."

* * *

"Its official, Gilmore. I cannot have any more sex with you. You have worn me out," Logan says, as he tries to catch his breath. Rory is lying on her back, panting beside him.

They have barely left the bed for 24 hours, and Logan is wiped. _But it was worth it to remind her how great we are together. She would never have this with Marty._

"I feel like I need a nap, and I haven't even been vertical today," Logan says.

"You're getting old, baby. I was hoping for one more time before dinner," she laughs.

"I must be getting old, because I don't know if I'll even _make_ it to dinner."

"We can cancel," Rory offers again.

"No, I want to get to know Lucy. I like you having a sane friend," he says.

"Shhh. Paris has ears like a bat. She'll double charge you for today!"

" _Another_ reason we should have stayed uptown. _And_ we wouldn't have to get dressed every time we need water. Speaking of, I need water." Logan rolls out of bed and pulls on some clothes.

"Me, too, please. I have to start getting ready to go," she says.

Logan opens the door, peeks his head out and, upon finding the coast is clear, heads to the kitchen for water. He is putting ice in his glass when Paris pops up behind him.

"Huntzberger," she says as she looks at his glass.

"Hey… Paris. Everything okay? You're standing really close to me," Logan says.

"I'm counting your ice cubes for your water assessment."

He purses his lips and watches her intently. A soon as she walks away, he fills his glass and heads back to Rory's room.

"Did I mention that I'm glad you've made a sane friend?" he says, re-entering the bedroom.

He finds her in her bra and panties, standing in front of her vanity.

"Well, I'm not complaining, because you look really sexy, but it might be a little cold out tonight for that," he jokes.

She rolls her eyes at him. "I'm going to put my dress on once I'm done curling my hair."

"Bummer," he says, setting the glass of water in front of her and heading back to bed. He opens his laptop to do one last email check before they leave. He is occupied for the next twenty minutes or so until Rory calls out to him.

"What time is it?"

"6:42. When do we need to leave?" he asks.

"A little after seven," she tells him.

He shuts his laptop and heads in to turn on the shower. Rory still has no clothes on as she applies make-up in front of the mirror.

 _Well, Marty is no dummy. She is undeniably beautiful._

He walks behind her and puts his arms around her waist, lightly kissing her neck.

"I thought you were _so_ spent," she laughs.

He looks up to their reflection in the mirror.

"I am. But even so… when you aren't wearing clothes, I can't keep my hands to myself," he says. He reaches his hands higher to caress her breasts. He gives her a good squeeze and feels her nipples harden in his hands. He kisses down her neck onto her shoulder.

Rory is watching their reflection. "We don't have time," she sighs.

"I know. But raincheck. I'll be ready again after dinner." He smacks her on the ass before stripping off his clothes and jumping in the shower.

* * *

Logan looks at Rory from the driver's side of her car. "Okay, how do we get to this place?"

"Um, head past campus, and um… its right next to that pizza place that Finn loves," she says.

He looks at her closely. "Are you okay? You're fidgety."

"I'm fine," she says, but her body keeps moving, and finally she crosses her legs tightly.

"Are you sure?" He pulls out of her parking lot before looking back to her. "Are you nervous or something?"

His insecurity about Marty creeps back in, and he tries to squash it. _She's not nervous about seeing him. She's not hiding anything. She loves_ _ **me**_ _._

"No, I'm fine," she says, but she shifts again in her seat.

At the next red light, he looks over at her again. "Ace."

"Fine," she says, cheeks flushing. "You got me all worked up earlier, and I just need to... move the energy around or something."

A big smile spreads across Logan's face. _She's not nervous about Marty. She's so turned on, she can't sit still._

When the light turns green, Logan turns right instead of going straight.

"Where are you going?" she asks. "You need to go straight there."

Logan doesn't answer. He just turns down into campus and pulls into a parking deck. He drives all the way to the top until there are no other cars around.

"What are you doing?" she asks when he puts the car in park.

He unbuckles his seat belt and leans over into her, kissing her hard, sliding his tongue straight into her mouth.

"Logan-" she starts to protest, but quickly gives in when he reaches his left hand down to cup her through her dress.

"We don't have time," she whispers.

"Relax," he whispers back, unbuckling her seat belt with his right hand. "Rory… un-clench," he says, and she finally uncrosses her legs. She slouches down just enough to give him a little access, and he puts his hand under her dress.

He slips his way into her panties. _God, she's so wet._

Rory pulls his face back to hers, kissing him deeply and running her hands through his hair. She moans a little into his mouth, and he adds another finger, quickening his pace. She slouches even further and opens even wider. He works his palm right onto the sweet spot, and she can barely kiss him anymore, she's so deprived for breath.

The gear shift is digging into his side, but he doesn't care. He leans further into her, using his right hand to angle her face towards his.

She reaches to kiss him, but he pulls away. "Open your eyes," he whispers.

She does, and he tries to convey all of his feelings through his own eyes. How much he loves her. How attracted he is to her. How he never wants to be separated again.

She is starting to break, and he curls his fingers forward, coaxing her to orgasm. She finally has to close her eyes, and she bites her lower lip. Her body goes limp, and he lays her back into her seat, stilling his hand.

"Better?" he asks, kissing her temple.

She nods, eyes still closed. "God damn, Logan…"

He smirks. _There is nothing hotter than making her curse._

"I think there are napkins in the glove box," she whispers, her eyes still closed.

He cleans both of them up and pulls her dress back over her knees.

"Alright! Let's get some Indian food," he says, reversing the car and heading out of the parking deck.

They arrive at Panchali's about ten minutes late, and they rush in to find Marty and Lucy waiting for them.

"We're so sorry we're late," Rory says.

"It was my fault," Logan tells them. "I turned onto the wrong street, and it took about five minutes to get off." He turns to Rory with the biggest smirk he's got, and she blushes intensely.

She glares at him, exasperated, and turns back to Lucy. "Can we sit down?"

"Yeah, let me tell them we're ready."

"I'm gonna go wash my hands," Logan whispers to Rory. "Order me a beer."

In the bathroom, he checks his reflection and gives himself a pep talk.

 _She chose_ _ **me**_ _. She loves_ _ **me**_ _. Be nice to Marty. Keep your mouth shut. Rory needs a normal friend._

Back at the table, the server is bringing a round of beers as he sits down. He puts his hand on Rory's knee and leans over to kiss her cheek. He feels Marty looking at him. Logan meets his eyes and tries to smile, though he's not sure he's successful.

"So cute," Lucy says. "And here I thought you were Snuffaluffugus."

"Nope. I'm real," he replies.

The conversation flows fairly easily between he and Lucy. Rory chimes in occasionally, but Marty is quiet. Logan is reminded of that fateful dinner at China Palace.

 _Well, she is definitely leaving here with_ _ **me**_ _tonight._

Throughout the meal, Logan notices the way Marty looks at Rory. He checks her too, but she doesn't seem to notice.

 _Which is even worse. He must look at her like this all the time. She's just used to it._

Logan can't help himself. He puts Marty on the spot. "Hard-working and beautiful. She's something special. You got yourself a good one here, Marty," he says, pointing to Lucy.

Marty looks up at him, shifts his eyes to Rory, and says "Thanks."

 _What the fuck? Why is he checking out Rory like that?_

"Oh, Rory's got way better stories than I do," Lucy says.

"Did she ever tell you about the time she drove out to her English lit professor's house in Albany to replace the last page of her final?" Logan asks.

"Well, it was in the wrong font," Rory protests. "And I got an A on that paper."

"Wasn't that the professor who had a crush on you?" he asks quietly, turning back to his food.

"Hey! Are you saying she didn't deserve that A?" Lucy laughs.

"I'm just saying the woman is the object of many strange crushes," Logan replies pointedly.

"Oh, that's not true!" Rory says.

"The oddball who works at Baskin-Robbins?" he reminds her. "She can't walk within a block of the place without the guy running out with a triple scoop of mint chocolate chip," he tells Marty and Lucy.

Lucy laughs as Rory says "So not true." She nudges him with her knee.

"Hey, she's something special," Lucy parrots.

Logan checks Marty again, but he is suddenly very interested in his food.

"Hey, you know, I put four pages of endnotes on that final. I deserved that A," Rory tells him.

"I'm not saying you're not dedicated to your schoolwork. You're the hardest worker I know." Logan says sincerely. _I'm also not saying you're not worthy of the crushes._ "See I was always about doing just enough or maybe a little less," he continues, turning to Lucy with a grin.

"Well look at you now, Mr. Slaving Away." Lucy says.

"It's true. My rep is ruined," Logan agrees. He smiles at Marty, who is smiling at Rory.

"Boyfriend works _insanely_ hard," Lucy brags.

"Is that true, Marty?" Logan asks. _From my vantage point, you spend all of your time looking at my girl. Not sure when you would find time to work._

"I just have a couple of jobs," Marty says.

Lucy and Rory debate the state of Marty's jobs. _How does she know all this? She has definitely been hanging out with him more than she let on._

"That's a lot of jobs, my boy," Logan weighs in.

Marty looks at him. "Hey, I'm just waiting for that trust fund to kick in," he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Logan looks up. _Is this where she has been getting all this trust fund bullshit?_

Marty leans over to pick up Rory's fallen napkin, oblivious to Logan's glare.

 _Of course he's oblivious to me. He hasn't stopped watching Rory since we got here._

He can feel the tensions rising in his mind, and he attempts to redirect.

"So how did you two meet?" he asks Marty and Lucy.

Marty seems unsure of what to say until Lucy says "He stalked me!"

"That's charming." Logan counters. _And not unfamiliar._

They tell the story, and it sounds cute. _You know, if I didn't hate him._

"Sweet," is all he can say. He knows how fake his smile must look, and he tries to reign it all in.

"I can't even believe I don't know this. How did you two meet?" Lucy asks, referencing Logan and Rory.

Logan looks to Rory, who is looking into her lap.

 _Be the bigger person, Logan. You don't even remember this anyway._

"Actually, Marty introduced us," he hears himself say. He sees Marty's eyes bug out, and Rory is frantically nudging him with her knee.

"What?" Lucy asks.

 _Fuck it._

"I'm sorry I can't be a part of this," he tells Rory.

"A part of what?" Lucy quizzes.

"Logan," Rory says softly.

He turns back to Lucy. "They've known each other since freshman year."

Marty is staring at Rory again. _Check your own girl, asshole._

"I don't understand," Lucy says.

 _Yeah, me neither._

"Rory and Marty. They used to hang out all the time in Branford and watch 'Duck Soup'." Logan smirks a little at Marty, who is finally looking back at him.

"What are you talking about?" Lucy demands, anger rising in her voice. "What is he talking about?" she asks Marty.

The anger and volume escalate from there as Rory and Marty stammer out excuses and denials.

Finally Lucy stands. "Oh, my God. This is… this is so messed up. I have to go."

"No, Lucy!" Marty says, chasing after her.

Logan looks up to the ceiling, preparing for the anger Rory is about to unleash on him.

"What is wrong with you?" she asks, incredulous.

"I was asked a direct question. I'm not gonna lie. She's a nice girl," he says. _Why have_ _ **you**_ _been lying? Please make me understand._

"Yeah, I know she's a nice girl. She's my friend."

He hears the hurt in her voice, and he feels guilty.

"You were gonna tell her anyway," he offers lamely.

"Not here. Not like this! You totally humiliated her," Rory says.

 _What? That is my fault?_

"Lucy's humiliated because of what you and Marty did to her, not me. I told her the truth, which is something she could use a little bit more of from her supposed friend and her boyfriend," he says.

"I can't believe you're trying to justify this. What you did was so obnoxious!"

 _I can't believe you are turning this on me!_

"I was just being honest," he says. After a moment, he continues. "I'm just gonna head back into the city tonight. I got a lot of work to do tomorrow."

"Fine," she says.

 _Great. Freeze me out for another few days. This is all my fault, of course._

He drops his utensils, and flags down the waitress. "Can we get the check, please? And a couple of boxes for her." He hands over his credit card and turns to Rory. She is digging through her purse, ignoring him.

The silence extends through the car ride home. _Two hours ago, I was watching her come in my hand, and now she's not speaking to me._

He heads into Rory's room to pack up his things. _I really don't want to go, but I kind of drew a line in the sand._

When he walks out of the bedroom, Rory finally breaks the silence. "How could you do that? You were so happy I made a sane friend, remember?"

"I like her, Rory. _You_ like her. She should know that her boyfriend is into someone else," he responds angrily.

"Why do you do this?" she asks. "You are always so jealous! You're always jealous of Jess, and now you're jealous of _Marty_? He is not that into me!"

"Wake up, Rory. He was staring at you all night… And who are you to talk? You are so jealous of Bobbi, and she's just my co-worker."

"And Marty's just my friend," she counters.

"You have history with him, and he's still totally in love with you," Logan says. "I don't even talk to Bobbi unless we're at work."

"I can't believe you don't trust me," she says quietly.

"Well, I did… until you didn't tell me about him," he says.

"I didn't _not_ tell you," Rory insists.

"So if you found out that I was hanging out with... I don't know... Claudia Wellman, and conveniently forgot to tell you about it… You would have no problem with that?"

Anger and hurt flash in her eyes, and he knows he's gone too far.

"Okay. Bad example," he says.

"How dare you?"

"Baby, I didn't mean-"

"How dare you compare my friendship with Marty to some girl you screwed behind my back!" she yells.

"Rory-"

"Do you have all your stuff?" she asks.

Logan can only nod.

"Then just go," she says walking into her bedroom and closing the door behind her.

 _Damn it. How does this keep happening? I was only trying to think of someone who I have history with… Why can't I ever just shut my stupid mouth?_

He gets into his rental car and decides he's too tired and pissed to drive all the way to Manhattan. Instead, he heads uptown to his apartment and pulls into his old parking space.

He falls asleep in his bed that still smells like Rory, waiting on a call that he knows isn't coming.

* * *

He drives to Honor's apartment on the upper west side on Sunday morning. She opens the door, surprised to see him.

"I didn't think I would see you again before you went back. Is Rory with you?" she asks.

"No. We had a big fight."

Honor sighs. "Come in. Tell me."

He runs through the whole night for her, trying to remember every detail.

"And she's right, isn't she?" he finally asks. "I mean, I got jealous. It's true that I didn't want to lie, and I thought Lucy should know, but…"

"You really only told to get back at Marty, didn't you?" Honor asks.

" _Yes_ … He just kept watching Rory all night. And I know he's been flirting with her in his 'I'm-such-a-nice-guy-and-your-boyfriend's-a-rich-asshole' way," Logan says. "Petty and vindictive are not qualities that I like in people. I don't want to be that way."

"Logan, when you're in a relationship, especially a long-distance one, jealousy and insecurity are like… the default. You have to work really hard to rise above it. But you'll be home in a month, and everything will get better. You'll see. Now you know her and how stubborn she is. Just give her some time.

We need to choose your apartment today anyway. I know you like the extra bedroom on 66th, but the Tribeca loft is a lot closer to your office."

He tries to follow Honor's advice, but he finds it difficult not to call her. He works in the office on Monday and Tuesday morning ( _Honor is right about the loft_ ), which is a nice distraction, but he finally gives in while he is waiting to board his flight Tuesday afternoon.

He calls her, but has to settle for voicemail.

"Hey… I'm at the airport about to go back, and I just want to tell you… I'm really sorry that I upset you, and to… remind you that I love you so much, and I hope you'll still come to London next week. Um… call me when you're ready to talk."

He sleeps and reads through most of his flight. When he lands at Heathrow, he finds a voicemail from Rory.

 _I'm nervous. What if she finally decides it's been enough, and she can't deal with my shit anymore?_

He anxiously listens.

"Hey… I love you, too, and… of course I'm coming to London next week. I can't wait."

He exhales and smiles.

* * *

A/N: I've never been sure why Logan is so jealous here. Marty is really not competition, amiright? I tried to give it some plausible subtext. Hopefully, this works for you guys!

Only one more chapter left!


	8. Chapter 8

Author Note: This is it! Thank you to everyone who reads and big thanks to everyone who reviews. All character belong to Gilmore Girls.

Logan's inner thoughts in italics.

* * *

Logan anxiously sits in the back of the towncar as Paul moves through the parking lot at Heathrow looking for a spot.

"Why don't you just stay with the car, and I'll go in myself," Logan says nervously.

 _If it's an awkward reunion, I'd rather not have onlookers. She says she's not upset with me anymore, but…_

"Sure, just let me find a space to pull up," Paul responds.

A few minutes later, Paul puts the car in park and turns back to him. "Good?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Logan takes a deep breath, trying to calm his frazzled nerves. "Actually, can I borrow your sign? Do you have it?"

"Sure," Paul says, handing him a white board and a dry erase marker.

"Thanks," Logan says getting out of the car. He walks into the airport and positions himself where he can see her as she comes up the escalator.

He writes "Rory" on the board.

 _That's too impersonal._ He erases it.

"Love of my life."

 _Too personal._ He erases again.

"My Ace."

 _Perfect._

He checks the board and sees that her flight is on time, so he holds up his sign and gets ready.

He starts getting looks, and he feels a slightly embarrassed flush creep up his face. A woman about his age walks past and smiles. "I can be your Ace," she says flirtily.

He smiles back. "Sorry, position's taken."

A few minutes later, a fortyish woman approaches him. "Looking for applicants?"

He laughs again. "Sorry, already filled." _Let's hope Rory appreciates this as much as other women seem to be._

Finally he sees her head pop up at the top of the escalator, and his heart begins pounding.

She sees his sign, breaks into his favorite smile, and runs toward him, suitcase rolling behind her. He drops the sign to catch her as she flings her arms around his neck and holds him close. He squeezes her so tight she lifts off the ground, giggling.

"Oooh, I missed you," he whispers in her ear as he sets her back down.

"Me too," she replies pulling back to kiss him fully on the lips.

An elderly lady leans into their space and tells Rory "I'm glad you got here, love. He's been getting a lot of volunteers."

"I'm sure," she says smiling at him, reaching down to pick up his sign. "But _I'm_ your Ace," she says possessively.

"Yes, you are," he says, kissing her again. "How was your flight?"

"Long. I have one bag to pick up in baggage claim, but I cannot wait to get to your apartment and just stretch my legs out."

"My _flat_ ," he corrects her, smiling. "You're in London now, Gilmore."

He takes her bag, and they head toward the baggage area to wait on her suitcase.

 _I am so happy that it's not weird at all. I guess she really does forgive me for this Marty/Lucy mess._

As they stand to wait, Rory encircles his waist with her arms, and he leans down to kiss her. She turns full into him and kisses back, passionately.

"Let's get your bag and get going," he whispers.

They find her suitcase quickly and head outside to the car.

He introduces her to Paul, and they climb into the backseat as Paul puts her suitcases in the trunk.

"What first?" Rory asks.

"Well, the first few days I have a little tour for you," Logan says seductively.

"A tour? Of what? London?"

"Nope. My flat. I plan on showing you my bed… the couch… the shower… maybe even the kitchen table if you play your cards right," Logan says, smirking.

Rory leans into his neck and nuzzles. "How about the backseat of this car? Any stops here?" She slides her leg over him and straddles his lap.

He pulls her hips close and groans in appreciation. "No condoms."

"Logan!"

"On purpose," he tells her. "I ride in this car to work every day. I can't have memories like that in here, or I will walk in there every day with a raging hard-on."

"Don't you only have a few weeks left?" she pouts.

 _Fuck. Good point._

"Yes… I guess I didn't think this through… We'll be home in about ten minutes though. We can hold out for a bit," he says, trying to convince them both.

She just continues kissing his neck and rolling her hips on him. "Okay, we'll wait a few minutes," she whispers.

"Baby…"

"We'll just make out like teenagers," she says, then after a moment she laughs. "Well, I guess what I did as a teenager. Not what you did as a teenager."

 _I don't know how she can be so cavalier talking about other girls I've slept with. It makes me insane._

"Well, if I had known you as a teenager, it would have all been different," he says.

She stops kissing him and searches his eyes. "You're saying that you would have been fine waiting around for me? I dated Dean for _two years_ and didn't sleep with him."

"I would wait for you forever," he whispers.

Her hands are on either side of his face, and his hands have a tight grip on her hips as they stare into each other's eyes.

"I love you so much," she says, kissing him again.

After a few more heated minutes, they feel the car stop, and Logan looks out the window. "Oh, we're here." He pecks her lips one more time and whispers, "Climb off, Babe. I need a sec. Paul doesn't need to see me like this."

Rory laughs, and opens the car door, climbing out onto the sidewalk. He shifts around and rearranges himself until he isn't about to bust out of his pants, then follows her.

He takes Rory's bag from Paul telling him "I got this, man. Thanks. I'll be in touch."

He takes Rory into the building, introducing her to the front desk staff, and pushing the button for the elevator. As soon as the doors close, she is all over him again, kissing him and moving her hand over his reappearing erection.

The doors open, and he practically drags her down the hallway to his apartment. He unlocks the door, pulls her in, shuts it behind them, and then backs her up against the door. His mouth is on hers again, a hungry moan escaping from him.

Coats, scarves, shoes, clothes. They all fall away quickly until they are skin on skin, hands and mouths everywhere. "Don't move," he whispers.

In preparation for her visit, he has wisely stashed condoms all over his flat. He grabs one from the end table by the couch, slides it on, and heads right back to her. He pulls her legs around his body, picking her up and spinning her around until he has her tight against the wall in the dining room. They shift their bodies until she is able to slide down unto him. They both gasp, before burying their heads into each other's necks and moving quickly together.

Rory comes within minutes. "Logan… I…"

He pulls her off the wall and lays her down on the dining room table, pumping faster and faster until he erupts inside of her. He hovers over her, catching his breath.

 _Wow._

"You didn't mention the tour coming to the _dining room_ table in the itinerary," she giggles.

"Unexpected stop," he pants. "So… this is my dining room."

"It's lovely," she whispers.

Logan pulls her off the table and takes her by the hand, leading her towards his room. "Let's get you acquainted with my bedroom."

* * *

Logan pads out of his bedroom the next morning. He grabs the paper from outside his door, starts the coffee pot, and turns on his laptop, running through his emails and checking the news. He plans on getting a little bit of work done before Rory wakes up.

Within thirty minutes though, Rory is awake and shuffling down the hall toward him. She is wearing one of his T-shirts, and her hair is braided down over her shoulder. He smiles as she approaches.

 _I have **really** missed living together. Just how normal it feels to share space._

She stops as she looks over at the front door where all of yesterday's clothes still sit.

"Oh my God," she exclaims. "Have you noticed this?"

Logan smirks. "Yeah, you wanted me pretty bad."

"Shut up."

He closes his laptop and pours her a mug of coffee. "Why are you up so early?" he asks as he hands her the cup.

"I don't know. I noticed you were gone, so… I came to find you," she answers.

They sit down at the kitchen table together. He hands her the paper, but she quickly sets it aside.

"Last night was amazing," Rory begins. "But maybe we should talk a little this morning. Do you have to work or do you have time?"

"I have time. And you're right," he sighs. _Just get it over with. Admit you're a total idiot, and you completely fucked up._ "I really am so sorry about Lucy. I let Marty get to me, and… I was… jealous."

"Of Marty? Really? Why?"

"Come on, Ace. Ever since you showed up to that party with Robert, we both know I'm irrational when it comes to you and other guys. But I definitely pushed it too far this time. I'm going to work on it. I promise… The distance has been hard for me. Harder even then I've let on. I'm always worried that you are going to call me and tell me it's too much. And… sometimes I let my imagination get the best of me. I just hate not being close enough to remind you how great we are together," Logan says.

"Logan. Why didn't you just tell me Marty was bothering you so much?" she asks.

"Because it's stupid. You told me there was nothing on your end, and I wanted to believe you. I mean, I know you love me. I do. And I hate being so insecure. But sometimes… I guess I am. Whether it's real, like Jess, or ridiculous, like Marty. I know how amazing you are, and I know I'm not the only one who knows it," he tells her.

She reaches across the table for his hand. "Jess is not real either. I promise. And we only have a few more weeks."

"I know. I really am _so_ sorry," he reiterates.

"I've hated the distance too. Obviously, I've gotten jealous and said stupid things also." She pauses and takes a sip of coffee. "It hasn't all been bad though."

Logan scoffs. "Which parts haven't been bad?"

"I've saved all of the love letters you've sent since you left. I put them in a box with your copy of Gatsby. Sometimes when I really miss you, I read through them, and I remember why we are going through this," she says. "I'll have those forever. So that's something good."

"You know, last Christmas when we were broken up, I was so miserable. I drove out to my family's cabin in Vermont. I was trying to come up with… like... a strategy to get you back, and I reread The Great Gatsby. It was always my favorite, but I read it with a… I don't know… a new perspective, I guess. Something about how Gatsby was willing to completely devote himself to being good enough for Daisy. I wanted to do that."

"Logan… You were always good enough for me." Rory smiles. "And I would never want you to change who you are. I reread Gatsby too after you sent it to me. I had forgotten how beautiful and tragic it was. Did you ever read the Pride and Prejudice I sent you?"

"Yeah. I told you that, right?" he asks. When she shakes her head 'no', he continues. "I read it right around your birthday. I thought it would help me feel closer to you."

"Aw. Did you like it?"

"It took me a little while to get into it," he admits. "But then I could see the appeal. And I can actually really relate to Darcy."

"Really?" she asks.

"Yeah. He's a rich prick, but he sure does love his girl," Logan says, lifting her hand and kissing her knuckles, bringing a smile to her face. "You know something else good about the distance?"

Rory looks at him, eyebrows raised.

"I wouldn't have even thought it possible, but the sex has gotten hotter," he says.

Rory flushes. "I guess I have gotten a little more adventurous."

Logan smiles, his eyes crinkling. "Yes, you have," he says, nodding his head.

Rory picks up their coffee cups and moves them to the counter before coming back to the table and settling into his lap. "Speaking of, I believed I was promised a tour of the kitchen table." She leans in to kiss his jawline just below his ear.

"Well, you had to play your cards right," he teases her.

She traces the corner of his ear with her tongue. "How's my hand looking?"

"Pocket aces, Ace," he whispers as he pulls his T-shirt off of her.

* * *

That night, Logan holds Rory's hand as they stand in front of Bobbi and Harry's door. They are soon greeted warmly and escorted into the flat.

"Rory, darling," Bobbi coos. "We're so glad you're here. This is my boyfriend Harry."

"Really nice to meet you," Rory says, shaking his hand and grinning.

"Well, come in, come in. Drinks are in the kitchen, food is in the dining room. Everyone's here. Let me show you around," Bobbi begins, linking arms with Logan and Rory. Under her breath, she murmurs "No sneaking off to shag in my flat. I know how you two operate."

Logan laughs at Rory's blush.

He watches her through the night as she gets to know his friends here. _It's just like how quickly she took into the Life and Death Brigade. Everyone loves her._

She settles onto the couch with him, and he wraps his arms around her, kissing her temple.

"Everyone is really great," she says. "But you couldn't have mentioned at any point in the last seven months that Bobbi has a boyfriend that she lives with?"

"Ace, I've told you. I don't think about her at all. So, honestly, it never really crossed my mind. Harry's cool though." He leans in and whispers "I actually like him a lot more than I like her."

Rory laughs and replies. "We can really be idiots, can't we? I mean, making up stuff to be jealous about. Let's not do that anymore, okay?"

"I'll do my best," he promises, leaning in close to kiss her again.

* * *

The next day they wake up late, lazily snuggling and kissing. Logan hasn't had this many days off since he graduated Yale, and he is determined to enjoy it as much as possible.

"Let's go get breakfast, and then we can look for a Christmas tree," he says, nuzzling her neck.

"You mean a Hanukkah bush, right?" she asks, giggling.

He flips her toward him so they are face to face. "No. I mean a Christmas tree. I know you have traditions with your mom, but I hated Christmas with my parents. I was always just counting down the days until I could get back to school. But I _want_ to spend this Christmas with you. I want traditions that are just ours." As a last ditch effort, he gives her his best puppy dog face and lays it on thick. "We missed the holidays together last year."

"Logan… that's so sweet. Okay, let's get a tree."

"Maybe that's why your mom doesn't like me… Do she think I'm trying to take you away from her?" he asks. _Which I guess I am. But isn't it natural for adults to leave their parents behind?_

"Stop. My mom likes you."

Logan raises his eyebrows at her.

"She does. I promise. And she knows how much I love you. And that's what she really cares about," Rory says.

 _I don't believe it, but I guess I have the rest of my life to get Lorelei to like me._

"Come on. Let's go," Logan says, kissing her nose and rolling out of the bed.

He takes her all through his neighborhood. They buy a tree off a street corner and find decorations and trinkets in the Superdrug near his flat. It's tacky and cheesy, and he loves every minute of it.

He makes them mugs of instant hot chocolate with mini marshmallows, while Rory opens a tube of premade cookie dough.

"Christmas cookie?" Rory asks. She spoons out a hunk of cookie dough to him.

"Ace… Shouldn't we put them in the oven? Isn't the smell like… the best part?"

"We will, but it just tastes so good like this," she replies.

"Fine," he says taking the spoon. "How's the tree looking?"

"Kind of Charlie Brown-ish," Rory says.

"That's what I'm going for," he tells her with a laugh. "My house always had the perfect tree and the perfect decorations, and I was never allowed to help do any of it. So this looks like crap, but we did it together. I think it's awesome."

He leans over to kiss her, the sugary taste of cookie dough hitting his tongue. "Didn't you get whipped cream and chocolate sauce and stuff too?" he asks.

"Yes, but its 4:00. You want dessert now?"

"I want dessert always," he laughs.

Rory looks puzzled for a second. "But you always get on to me about sweets before- oh… _Oh_. Yeah, I'll go get the stuff."

* * *

"Oh my gosh, Logan! It's amazing!" Rory squeals when she enters their suite in Paris. "I can't believe this view," she says throwing back the curtains.

He comes up behind her and wraps his arms around her waist. "Nothing but the best for my girl."

"It's so romantic," she whispers.

"I know," he whispers back, grinning. "Come on. Let's go outside before the snow gets too heavy."

They spend the day wandering Paris, doing all sorts of touristy things. They stop into a charcuterie for dinner, gorging on cheese, baguettes, and wine.

They stumble back out into the street, slightly drunk and completely in love.

"I'm so happy, Logan. You make me so happy," she slurs, leaning into his side.

He tightens his grip on her fingers and tries to kiss the top of her head. In his inebriation, he misses and his nose crashes into her temple.

"Ow. Fuck. I didn't realize I was so drunk until I got up and tried to walk out of there," he says.

Rory giggles. "Me too. Let's go sit in that park for a minute until everything stops moving around me."

They head to a bench and sit for a spell, cuddled together for warmth. Logan sighs against her. "You make me so happy too, Ace. I want it to always be this way."

"Always?"

He looks deep into her eyes.

 _I should just ask her now. The ring's not ready, but this is the moment._

"Always," he replies. _I want to spend every day with you for the rest of my life._ _Making you happy._ _Will you marry me?_

He takes a deep breath, calming his nerves. He shifts to one leg, ready to drop down to his knee. "Rory-"

"I can see how my parents got caught up in the moment here. It's so romantic, that you just want to make dumb decisions with life-changing consequences. Like 'Sure let's just get married. Who cares if Rory's not here to be part of it, and I'm still in love with Luke,'" she says.

He sits back against the bench. _Okay. Not the right moment anymore._

"I'm sorry. We're not talking about my parents anymore. Were you saying something?" she asks.

"Not really. Just that I love you so much."

She smiles back at him placing her hand on his thigh. She kisses him deeply before responding. "If we can't walk, let's get a cab. We need to get back to the hotel. Right now."

He laughs. "God, I love it when you're this direct."

"It's probably the wine talking."

"I'll have room service bring us another bottle."

* * *

They are packing up their things, getting ready for the trip to Rome.

Rory turns to him as they get into the elevator. "Would it be a huge waste of your money if we don't go to Rome?"

"Don't worry about the money. Is everything okay?" he asks.

"Yeah, I just… Rome is going to be so crowded at Christmas with everyone packing into the Vatican, and I was thinking maybe we could just go back to your apartment and spend it together. Alone."

He smiles at her. "Of course. That sounds so much better. We'll just change trains." He thinks for a few moments. "I don't want you to ever worry about money. I know you don't really need or want it from me, but I will always take care of you."

She smiles. "I know. But you don't have to. I just always want the lines to be clear. I'm not with you because of your money or your name."

"Trust me- I know. You've made that abundantly clear. But not just money. Whatever you need. Support… encouragement… sex." He pauses while they both laugh. "I _wanna_ take care of you. Will you just let me?"

"Okay," she says. "One day, when my life is a disaster, I'll definitely let you swoop in to clean up the mess. Deal?"

"Like that will ever happen," he scoffs.

* * *

On Christmas morning, Rory awakens first, then shakes him awake. "Logan. Get up! It's Christmas!"

He picks his head up groggily, while Rory quickly jumps out of bed to pull on pajamas.

"Do you think Santa came?" she asks, smiling.

"No. We were very naughty last night. Take your clothes off and get back in bed," he says.

"Lo-gan! We have to get up early on Christmas."

"Okay," he says, breathing in deeply. "I'm up."

 _I wanted Christmas traditions with her._

She heads out _(surely she'll make coffee, right?)_ , and he pulls on some pants and a sweatshirt. He grabs her gift from his closet, stops to brush his teeth, and then enters the living room.

He walks in to find Rory standing in front of the tree with a gift, and she's so cute, he can't help but smile at her.

"Let's open the gifts from Honor first, and then we'll exchange ours," he suggests.

"Honor got something for me? But I didn't get her anything!" Rory says.

"Yes, you did. We sent her a spa package and got Josh a new driver," Logan tells her.

"Wow. I really dropped the ball there. Thanks."

"No problem. Here," he says, handing her the gift from under the tree before sitting down beside her on the couch.

They both open Honor and Josh's gifts to find a cashmere sweater for him and a suede clutch for Rory.

"It's gorgeous," she says. "I can always count on Huntzbergers for great purses. Now here, open yours. It's kind of cheesy, but I loved it."

"I'm sure I'll love it too," he says, tearing the wrapping paper off the small box. Inside he finds a tie clip.

"You always have to wear ties now, and… just look at the inside," Rory says.

The inside is engraved 'Logan' on one side of the pin, and 'Rory' on the other. He smiles.

"Ace, it's perfect."

"Now, even when you're at work, we'll be together," she says, smiling shyly. "Is it too corny?"

"No, baby, I love it. I'll use it every day." He leans in for a kiss. "Now open mine."

She unwraps hers to find a velvet box containing large round sapphire earrings. "Logan… these are gorgeous. They're too much."

 _Nothing is too much for you._

"They absolutely are not. They're called Ceylon sapphires. They are the exact same color as your eyes."

"Well now I feel conceited saying this, but they are _beautiful_ ," she says.

"There's this little jewelry shop between my office and the food trucks where we eat lunch," he explains. "And every day, I would stop in the window and stare at these earrings because they looked like your eyes. Finally, after a few weeks, this older lady comes out and tells me to come inside because she wants to know why I stare at these earrings every day… and this is when I hadn't seen you for months so I was miserable, and I spilled our whole story.

The lady's name is Magda, and she escaped Nazi Poland as a child. She has amazing stories, and she's kind of my buddy now. I'll take you by there before you go home. She really wants to meet you. See these eyes she's heard so much about."

"Aw. I would love that," Rory says sliding the earrings into her earlobes. "How do they look?"

"You look beautiful." He leans in to kiss her again, this time sliding his tongue into her mouth. "Actually though… I'm not sure they match what you have on. You should probably take your clothes off." He smirks.

She laughs. "You are relentless! I am not taking my pajamas off! It's time to start our new traditions," she says jumping up from the couch and running back to the bedroom.

She returns a moment later with a stack of DVDs. "Christmas movies! All day in our pajamas."

"I thought we weren't doing any Christmas things," he teases. "I hope you brought _Yentl_ and _Fiddler on the Roof_. I converted to Judaism for this."

"Lo-gan. Stop. You were right. I want Christmas with you. I brought _It's a Wonderful Life_ , _Miracle on 34_ _th_ _Street_ , _A Christmas Story_ , and _Christmas Vacation_. Sound good?"

"Sounds perfect," he says.

They spend the morning snuggled up on the couch in their pajamas, watching through the movies she selected.

They take a break midday to attempt a meal. They roast a turkey breast and mash potatoes. Chop a salad and slice into a store-bought pie. They're so inexperienced that it takes all afternoon and the meal ends up being dinner.

 _I'm better in the kitchen than she is, but that's not saying a lot._

It turns out decent, though far from perfect, and he is pleased when Rory declares it the best meal she's ever eaten.

"Well, that's obviously not true. We just came from Paris, where every meal was better than this," he laughs. "But I appreciate your lies. This is the first holiday meal I've ever had not made by a paid chef. So I'm pretty proud of it. We didn't set the kitchen on fire, and it was edible."

"It was the best thing _I've_ ever made. And next year we'll be even better," Rory says.

"Next year…" he agrees. He lifts his glass of wine to her. "To next year. It's gonna be big for us, baby."

She smiles a shy smile and clinks his glass. "I wish I were as confident about everything as you are."

"Well, what are you worried about? Not me, right? Because I'm a sure thing," he says, smirking.

"No, not you. Just… a job. Sometimes, I think about what your dad said to me, and…"

"Hey- do not listen to the Mitchum in your head. He has told me my whole life that I'm not good enough, and look how wrong he was. He's wrong about you too. I would be shocked if you don't have your pick of papers," he reassures her.

She smiles her biggest smile, and then says "Let's clean up and then go watch _It's a Wonderful Life_. That's the perfect one to end on."

Rory quotes practically the entire thing, bringing a smile to his face, and when it ends, he leans over to kiss the top of her head. "Perfect day, Ace."

"It's not quite over. I got you one more thing," she says.

 _I hope she didn't get anything big. I know she's been worried about money lately._

She runs back to the bedroom for a moment. She comes back in wearing a Santa hat and a red satin camisole with little red shorts. There are white gloves pulled up over her elbows. She turns her iPod on to "Santa Baby" and starts shimmying.

Logan feels his mouth go dry. _Breathe. Swallow._

"I know I'm a terrible dancer, but that's not actually the point here…" She slowly pulls off the gloves and throws them at him cheekily. She puts the Santa hat on his head.

"Merry Christmas to me," Logan says, as Rory turns around to sit in his lap. He reaches up for her breasts as she moves her ass against his erection. She gasps a little when he pinches her nipples, but she keeps swishing her hips on him, driving him crazy. She turns around, kneels in front of him, and pulls at his pants. He lifts his hips to help her, trying to calm his mind down.

"I guess Santa did come," Logan smirks.

"Santa's about to make you come," she purrs, leaning down and taking him into her mouth.

He puts his hands into her hair and watches her mouth move up and down on him.

 _Best. Christmas. Ever._

He smiles to himself as his eyes flutter close.

* * *

"So what exactly is Boxing Day?" Rory asks him the next day over coffee and breakfast.

"From what I gather, it's just a day off. There's a lot of shopping deals like our Black Friday, and there's a football match. Er, you know I mean soccer, right? And I'm sure there's some religious aspect that goes with it. Church of England stuff. But I don't know that part."

"So, it's just another day to be lazy? That's a holiday I can fully get behind," she says, laughing. "And what do _you_ know about Black Friday?"

"Umm... Not much. Just the videos of people stampeding each other for big TVs. Is there more to it than that?" he asks with a laugh. "Whatever. Let's go out today. I can take you into the park where I run, and if you're up to it, we can walk down to my office, and I can show it to you while no one is there. It's really not that far, I promise."

She looks at him, disbelieving. "Not that far means totally different things to me than it does to you."

"Well, if you get tired, I'll carry you. Or we can just get in a cab," he promises.

She reluctantly agrees, and they leave the flat to walk around in Hyde Park. Holding hands, he points out various statues and takes her to Round Pond to feed the swans.

 _She is enjoying herself, no matter how much she hates being active._

Light snow begins to fall, and she turns to him grinning with snowflakes attached to her lashes. She is almost twirling in her giddiness, and again, he thinks-

 _Now is the perfect time. Just tell her you want to marry her._

"Ace-"

"Do you want to eat? I'm starving. I could double my weight right now. We could go into one of those pubs we passed and get something really greasy and unhealthy," she interrupts him. "Counteract some of this exercise you've been making me do."

"Um, yeah, sure."

 _I am obviously going to have to find a time where she can't ramble over me._

They head out of the park and out on to the street where they quickly find a place for Rory to eat.

"Okay. Feel better?" he asks her an hour later.

"So much better. Let's go see your office," she says.

He takes her by the hand and leads her on the twenty minute walk to his office. He takes her upstairs and shows her Steven's desk first.

"You're going to miss him, aren't you?" she asks.

"Oh, yeah. He's unbelievably organized. I wish he was coming with me, but his family is here and his girlfriend."

"So," she says softly. "Have you met your new secretary in New York?"

"I have," he says, a smirk coming across his face.

 _I know where she's going with this._

"Do you like her? I mean, will she be as good as Steven?" she asks.

"I doubt _he'll_ be as good as Steven, but, no worries, I did specifically request a big swarthy dude," Logan says, smiling. "With... a cheesy goatee. Now they couldn't find anyone qualified with the goatee, but they definitely found me a _guy_. I'll try and convince him into the goatee once he starts."

"I'm sorry. I said I wasn't going to let any of this bother me anymore."

"Ace, it's okay. I would rather have a guy anyway. Just so you never worry about it. Even in the back of your mind. Now, do you want to see everything else?" he asks.

She nods, and he takes her around the floor showing her the conference rooms, the break room, and finally to his personal office.

"Wow, Logan. This is a really great view," she gushes. "Does it get loud?"

"It does at certain times of day. But I love it. I don't think my space in New York will be nearly this special."

"Why?" she asks.

"I don't think I have a window for starters. But there's just something special about the first office I think. This is the first place I really actually worked hard. Is that stupid?" he asks.

"No," she says. "The first anything in your life is special."

 _The first person I ever loved. Lived with. Devoted myself to._

 _God I want to ask her right now. Now that the idea is in my head, I can't get it out._

Instead he asks "Do you want to go by Magda's store now? She may be closed today, but we can peek in. It's only like a block or so away."

Rory nods, and they head back down the elevator and out into the cold London air. He accompanies her the two blocks to the shop and is thrilled to find it open.

The bell rings when he opens the door, and Magda herself comes out from the back.

"Logan, my dear. What brings you here?" she asks in accented English before spotting Rory behind him. "Oh! You must be his love!" She comes around the counter to embrace Rory. "I feel like I know you."

"Logan has told me a lot about you too," she says blushing.

"Oh, these eyes!" Magda gushes. "Just as beautiful as you described," she says to Logan.

Logan nods, beaming.

"Do you like the earrings?" Magda asks Rory, tucking Rory's hair behind her ear so that she can admire the sapphires.

"Oh, I love them. They're gorgeous," Rory exclaims.

"And they look beautiful on you. Come here. Let me see something," Magda says, before she turns and goes back behind the counter. She reaches into her cabinet and pulls out a matching round sapphire ring on a simple band.

"Let me see your hand, love." She takes Rory's hand and slips the ring onto her third finger. "This is a little big. You are a size six, no?"

"Oh, I have no idea. I don't really have any rings that aren't costume jewelry," Rory admits.

"Okay. Let me size you." Magda pulls out a little set of silver rings trying them on Rory's finger until she finds the size she likes. "Six and a quarter."

"Do you like that ring?" Logan asks Rory.

"Well, of course. It's amazing. But it's too much, Logan. You can't get it," she says.

 _We'll see about that._

Logan looks to Magda. "I guess we're not getting it then."

"That's okay, my dear. Will you be back to see me before you move?" she asks, looking at him pointedly.

"Of course," he smiles. "I would never leave town without saying goodbye to my best girl." He leans over the counter to kiss her cheek.

"Goodbye, dear Rory," she says.

Rory smiles at Magda as they turn to leave the store. Logan hails a cab, puts Rory in it, and says "Hold on. I forgot to tell her something." Before Rory can comment, Logan rushes back into the store.

"That was perfect! She has no idea you were measuring her finger. How long do you need to size the engagement ring?" he asks.

"I can probably get it back in ten days or so. Is that quick enough?"

"Yes. I'm here for another three weeks. And I want to get the sapphire too. It'll be perfect for next Christmas, right?"

"Yes, it will be perfect. I thought you might like it," Magda says with a knowing smile. "Now go have fun while your lovely bird is here."

"Thanks, Magda. I'll see you soon."

When he gets back into the cab, Rory is looking at him with an intense stare. "Did you go back and buy that ring?" she asks.

"No."

"Logan…"

"Honestly. I swear. Check my pockets. I just wanted to tell her again how much we both love the earrings and to thank her for helping me pick them out," he says, fibbing just a little.

 _I didn't buy it. I'm_ _ **going**_ _to buy it. So I'm not actually lying._

The cab has gone a few blocks when Rory exclaims "Logan, look! It's snowing! Let's get out and walk the rest of the way. Can we?"

"If _you_ want to walk, how can I say no?" Logan leans forward to tap the cab driver on the shoulder.

They stroll home hand-in-hand as the snow falls lightly around them. "Thanks for coming here, Ace."

"Logan, of course. This has been such an amazing trip. And now when I leave, it'll only be sixteen days until you're home for good," she says. "And then we don't have to ever be apart again."

Logan smiles.

 _We don't ever have to be apart again._

* * *

Logan looks around his flat for the last time. His life is packed into boxes around him. He pulls on his coat and grabs the bags that are coming with him.

The moment is bittersweet. He has actually enjoyed it all- London, his apartment, his work, and the friends he's made.

 _But nothing has been worth being away from her._

He double-checks his suitcase one last time to make sure the rings are safely packed away and then heads out to the elevator.

 _I'll be home by tonight, and I'm never going to be apart from her again._

Rory is waiting to greet him in baggage claim as he rides down the escalator at LaGuardia. They embrace, though it is without the normal degree of desperation.

 _This time, I'm not leaving in a few days. We have all the time in the world._

They get in the taxi line and endure forty minutes of traffic to arrive at his new loft in Tribeca. He takes Rory up the stairs and opens the door to an apartment filled with twinkle lights.

"Logan! How did you do all this?" she squeals.

"Honor did it," he admits. "Do you like it?"

"I love it. I love _you_. Oh, I'm just so glad you're home," she sighs.

"Come here," he says, dropping his bags and pulling her out onto the balcony. "This is the best part." He pulls her into his lap as he lays down on one of the deck chairs. "What do you think?" he asks.

"Perfect," she replies as she snuggles against him. They lay there quietly looking at the stars, just happy to be breathing the same oxygen.

 _It is perfect. And it's only going to get better now that I'm home._ _I'm going to stop being so jealous and stupid. I'll love her better than she ever could have imagined._

 _And I'm going to_ _ **marry**_ _her._

* * *

A/N: Sorry to end on such a bittersweet thought. But to me, Logan probably came home thinking he was doing great at his job, he had a kick-ass apartment in NYC, and things were rock-solid with Rory. He would have had no clue that it would all blow up in a few months.

Thank you to all of you who read and especially to those who review. I appreciate your feedback so much. This took a lot of time because there was so much actual R/L interaction, and I couldn't just make it all up in my head. Also a lot more sex than I normally write, so hopefully that worked for you too.

On to my post-series/ Revival stuff, which will should have quicker updates! See you there.


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